International tourism, number of departures in European Union
European Union: International tourism, number of departures was 468.66 million in 2019. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of departures in European Union, 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 European Union stood at 468.66 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 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of departures in European Union peaked at 468.66 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 271.48 million, in 1997.
European Union ranks 10th of 26 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
International tourism, number of departures in European Union, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 271.48 million | — |
| 1998 | 296.37 million | +9.2% |
| 1999 | 312.88 million | +5.6% |
| 2000 | 325.16 million | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 321.41 million | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 316.69 million | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 322.01 million | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 319.21 million | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 334.63 million | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 338.89 million | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 359.82 million | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 377.00 million | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 362.27 million | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 364.85 million | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 364.84 million | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 365.61 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 372.96 million | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 360.81 million | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 378.47 million | +4.9% |
| 2016 | 397.79 million | +5.1% |
| 2017 | 431.35 million | +8.4% |
| 2018 | 461.91 million | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 468.66 million | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 293.58 million | 271.48 million | 312.88 million | 3 |
| 2000s | 337.71 million | 316.69 million | 377.00 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 396.72 million | 360.81 million | 468.66 million | 10 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 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
- 11 Italy 21.45 million compare
- 12 France 21.29 million compare
- 13 China 20.33 million compare
More private sector data for European Union
- Merchandise trade 70.9% (2025)
- Food imports 10.7% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 70.7% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 7.41 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 11.0% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 76.6% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 7.66 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 16,988 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3608 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.82 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of departures in European Union?
- International tourism, number of departures in European Union was 468.66 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 European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 468.66 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of departures recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 271.48 million in 1997.
- How does European Union rank for international tourism, number of departures?
- European Union ranks 10th out of 26 groups with data for 2019.
- Is international tourism, number of departures rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union 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.