International tourism, number of departures in France
France: International tourism, number of departures was 21.29 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of departures in France, 2006–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
In 2020, international tourism, number of departures in France stood at 21.29 million. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is down 56.8% on the previous year and down 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of departures in France peaked at 49.28 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 21.29 million, in 2020.
France ranks 12th of 117 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
International tourism, number of departures in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 27.11 million | — |
| 2007 | 33.14 million | +22.3% |
| 2008 | 30.96 million | -6.6% |
| 2009 | 30.65 million | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 29.97 million | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 31.15 million | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 29.64 million | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 30.46 million | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 31.94 million | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 30.61 million | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 29.64 million | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 44.27 million | +49.4% |
| 2018 | 48.07 million | +8.6% |
| 2019 | 49.28 million | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 21.29 million | -56.8% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 21.29 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.67 million, 8.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- France's 21.29 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.87 million, 7.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, number of departures in France changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -56.8% | 49.28 million | 21.29 million |
| 2017 | +49.4% | 29.64 million | 44.27 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30.46 million | 27.11 million | 33.14 million | 4 |
| 2010s | 35.50 million | 29.64 million | 49.28 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.29 million | 21.29 million | 21.29 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
- 9 United Kingdom 23.83 million compare
- 10 Netherlands 22.05 million compare
- 11 Italy 21.45 million compare
- 13 China 20.33 million compare
- 14 Switzerland 19.80 million compare
- 15 Argentina 15.35 million compare
More private sector data for France
- Merchandise trade 43.7% (2025)
- Food imports 11.5% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 74.0% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 786.43 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 378.61 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 13.4% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 78.5% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 683.10 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 428.61 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 9,940 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of departures in France?
- International tourism, number of departures in France was 21.29 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 49.28 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of departures recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.29 million in 2020.
- How does France rank for international tourism, number of departures?
- France ranks 12th out of 117 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of departures rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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 — 15 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.