International tourism, number of departures in China
China: International tourism, number of departures was 20.33 million in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, number of departures in China, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
In 2020, international tourism, number of departures in China stood at 20.33 million.
That represents a change of down 86.9% on the previous year and down 64.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of departures in China peaked at 154.63 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.52 million, in 1995.
China ranks 13th of 117 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, number of departures in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4.52 million | — |
| 1996 | 5.06 million | +12.0% |
| 1997 | 5.32 million | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 8.43 million | +58.3% |
| 1999 | 9.23 million | +9.6% |
| 2000 | 10.47 million | +13.4% |
| 2001 | 12.13 million | +15.9% |
| 2002 | 16.60 million | +36.8% |
| 2003 | 20.22 million | +21.8% |
| 2004 | 28.85 million | +42.7% |
| 2005 | 31.03 million | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 34.52 million | +11.3% |
| 2007 | 40.95 million | +18.6% |
| 2008 | 45.84 million | +11.9% |
| 2009 | 47.66 million | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 57.39 million | +20.4% |
| 2011 | 70.25 million | +22.4% |
| 2012 | 83.18 million | +18.4% |
| 2013 | 98.19 million | +18.0% |
| 2014 | 116.59 million | +18.7% |
| 2015 | 127.86 million | +9.7% |
| 2016 | 135.13 million | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 143.03 million | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 149.72 million | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 154.63 million | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 20.33 million | -86.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.51 million | 4.52 million | 9.23 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 28.83 million | 10.47 million | 47.66 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 113.60 million | 57.39 million | 154.63 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.33 million | 20.33 million | 20.33 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More private sector data for China
- Merchandise trade 32.6% (2025)
- Food imports 8.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 49.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 2.58 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.4% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 91.2% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 3.77 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,682 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1934 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.48 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of departures in China?
- International tourism, number of departures in China was 20.33 million in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, number of departures recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 154.63 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of departures recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.52 million in 1995.
- How does China rank for international tourism, number of departures?
- China ranks 13th out of 117 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of departures rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, number of departures. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International outbound tourists are the number of departures that people make from their country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than a remunerated activity in the country visited. The data on outbound tourists refer to the number of departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips from a country during a given period is counted each time as a new departure.