International tourism, number of departures in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: International tourism, number of departures was 740.72 million in 2019. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of departures in Europe & Central Asia, 1997–2019
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
In 2019, international tourism, number of departures in Europe & Central Asia stood at 740.72 million. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 37.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of departures in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 740.72 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 373.27 million, in 1997.
That places Europe & Central Asia 7th out of 26 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
International tourism, number of departures in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 373.27 million | — |
| 1998 | 406.72 million | +9.0% |
| 1999 | 431.29 million | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 457.41 million | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 453.10 million | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 457.28 million | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 467.95 million | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 477.52 million | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 504.65 million | +5.7% |
| 2006 | 516.21 million | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 543.82 million | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 562.15 million | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 539.87 million | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 554.24 million | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 573.58 million | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 585.07 million | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 608.35 million | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 587.76 million | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 604.74 million | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 626.60 million | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 682.57 million | +8.9% |
| 2018 | 729.51 million | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 740.72 million | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 403.76 million | 373.27 million | 431.29 million | 3 |
| 2000s | 498.00 million | 453.10 million | 562.15 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 629.31 million | 554.24 million | 740.72 million | 10 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
- 4 Canada 37.85 million compare
- 5 Mexico 36.06 million compare
- 6 Malaysia 30.76 million compare
- 7 Saudi Arabia 27.20 million compare
- 8 India 26.91 million compare
- 9 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 23.83 million compare
- 10 Netherlands 22.05 million compare
More private sector data for Europe & Central Asia
- Merchandise trade 62.2% (2025)
- Food imports 10.3% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 68.9% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 10.09 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 10.6% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 72.8% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 9.97 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 10,690 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3089 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.75 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of departures in Europe & Central Asia?
- International tourism, number of departures in Europe & Central Asia was 740.72 million in 2019, 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 Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 740.72 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of departures recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 373.27 million in 1997.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for international tourism, number of departures?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 7th out of 26 groups with data for 2019.
- Is international tourism, number of departures rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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 — 23 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.