International tourism, number of departures in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: International tourism, number of departures was 6.46 million in 2020. ▼ Falling
International tourism, number of departures in United Arab Emirates, 2015–2020
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 United Arab Emirates is 6.46 million, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
The figure is down 65.8% on the previous year and down 63.9% over ten years.
That places United Arab Emirates 25th out of 117 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
International tourism, number of departures in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 17.89 million | — |
| 2016 | 18.73 million | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 18.87 million | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 18.97 million | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 18.91 million | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 6.46 million | -65.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.67 million | 17.89 million | 18.97 million | 5 |
| 2020s | 6.46 million | 6.46 million | 6.46 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 22 Israel 9.18 million compare
- 23 Uzbekistan 8.44 million compare
- 24 Hong Kong, China 8.26 million compare
- 26 Syrian Arab Republic 6.26 million
- 27 Spain 6.24 million compare
- 28 Egypt 6.18 million
More private sector data for United Arab Emirates
- Merchandise trade 208.2% (2024)
- Food imports 5.0% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 54.9% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 618.88 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.9% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 8.8% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 706.67 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 61,380 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.1 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 16.69 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of departures in United Arab Emirates?
- International tourism, number of departures in United Arab Emirates was 6.46 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 18.97 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of departures recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.46 million in 2020.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for international tourism, number of departures?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 25th out of 117 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of departures rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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 — 6 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.