International tourism, number of departures in South Asia
South Asia: International tourism, number of departures was 37.27 million in 2019. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, number of departures in South Asia, 1995–2019
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, number of departures in South Asia is 37.27 million, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 116.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of departures in South Asia peaked at 37.27 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.18 million, in 1995.
That places South Asia 25th out of 26 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, number of departures in South Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 5.18 million | — |
| 1996 | 5.75 million | +11.0% |
| 1997 | 6.06 million | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 6.28 million | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 6.74 million | +7.3% |
| 2000 | 7.18 million | +6.5% |
| 2001 | 7.32 million | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 7.92 million | +8.3% |
| 2003 | 8.74 million | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 10.09 million | +15.4% |
| 2005 | 11.60 million | +15.0% |
| 2006 | 13.07 million | +12.6% |
| 2007 | 15.52 million | +18.7% |
| 2008 | 15.34 million | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 17.20 million | +12.1% |
| 2010 | 19.41 million | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 20.97 million | +8.0% |
| 2012 | 22.34 million | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 23.51 million | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 25.81 million | +9.8% |
| 2015 | 28.56 million | +10.6% |
| 2016 | 30.65 million | +7.3% |
| 2017 | 33.36 million | +8.8% |
| 2018 | 36.50 million | +9.4% |
| 2019 | 37.27 million | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.00 million | 5.18 million | 6.74 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 11.40 million | 7.18 million | 17.20 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.84 million | 19.41 million | 37.27 million | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 22 Israel 9.18 million compare
- 23 Uzbekistan 8.44 million compare
- 24 Hong Kong, China 8.26 million compare
- 25 United Arab Emirates 6.46 million compare
- 26 Syrian Arab Republic 6.26 million compare
- 27 Spain 6.24 million compare
- 28 Egypt 6.18 million compare
More private sector data for South Asia
- Merchandise trade 30.0% (2025)
- Food imports 5.6% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 47.1% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 864.53 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 11.8% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 67.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 510.58 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 301.72 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1115 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of departures in South Asia?
- International tourism, number of departures in South Asia was 37.27 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 37.27 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of departures recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.18 million in 1995.
- How does South Asia rank for international tourism, number of departures?
- South Asia ranks 25th out of 26 groups with data for 2019.
- Is international tourism, number of departures rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 116.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South 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 — 25 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.