International tourism, number of departures in World
World: International tourism, number of departures was 2.03 billion in 2019. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of departures in World, 1997–2019
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 World is 2.03 billion, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 45.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of departures in World peaked at 2.03 billion in 2019 and was at its lowest, 930.07 million, in 1997.
That places World 1st out of 24 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
International tourism, number of departures in World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 930.07 million | — |
| 1998 | 982.13 million | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 1.04 billion | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 1.12 billion | +7.6% |
| 2001 | 1.12 billion | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.13 billion | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 1.13 billion | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 1.20 billion | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 1.25 billion | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 1.38 billion | +10.2% |
| 2007 | 1.43 billion | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 1.45 billion | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1.40 billion | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 1.46 billion | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 1.50 billion | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 1.56 billion | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 1.64 billion | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 1.65 billion | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.74 billion | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 1.82 billion | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 1.93 billion | +6.3% |
| 2018 | 1.99 billion | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 2.03 billion | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 985.13 million | 930.07 million | 1.04 billion | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.26 billion | 1.12 billion | 1.45 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.73 billion | 1.46 billion | 2.03 billion | 10 |
Countries ranked near World
More private sector data for World
- Merchandise trade 43.9% (2025)
- Food imports 8.9% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 67.4% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 26.69 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 9.1% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 69.3% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 26.39 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 3,212 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.223 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 7.17 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of departures in World?
- International tourism, number of departures in World was 2.03 billion 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 2.03 billion in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of departures recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 930.07 million in 1997.
- How does World rank for international tourism, number of departures?
- World ranks 1st out of 24 groups with data for 2019.
- Is international tourism, number of departures rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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
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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.