International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in China
China: International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) was 14.23 billion current US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, receipts for travel items in China, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
China recorded 14.23 billion current US$ for international tourism, receipts for travel items in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 60.3% on the previous year and down 68.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, receipts for travel items in China peaked at 51.66 billion current US$ in 2013 and was at its lowest, 8.73 billion current US$, in 1995.
That places China 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in China, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 8.73 billion current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 10.20 billion current US$ | +16.8% |
| 1997 | 12.07 billion current US$ | +18.4% |
| 1998 | 12.60 billion current US$ | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 14.10 billion current US$ | +11.9% |
| 2000 | 16.23 billion current US$ | +15.1% |
| 2001 | 17.79 billion current US$ | +9.6% |
| 2002 | 20.39 billion current US$ | +14.6% |
| 2003 | 17.41 billion current US$ | -14.6% |
| 2004 | 25.74 billion current US$ | +47.9% |
| 2005 | 29.30 billion current US$ | +13.8% |
| 2006 | 33.95 billion current US$ | +15.9% |
| 2007 | 37.23 billion current US$ | +9.7% |
| 2008 | 40.84 billion current US$ | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 39.67 billion current US$ | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 45.81 billion current US$ | +15.5% |
| 2011 | 48.46 billion current US$ | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 50.03 billion current US$ | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 51.66 billion current US$ | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 44.04 billion current US$ | -14.7% |
| 2015 | 44.97 billion current US$ | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 44.43 billion current US$ | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 38.56 billion current US$ | -13.2% |
| 2018 | 40.39 billion current US$ | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 35.83 billion current US$ | -11.3% |
| 2020 | 14.23 billion current US$ | -60.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 14.23 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 426.00 million current US$, 33.4× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 14.23 billion current US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 186.00 million current US$, 76.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.54 billion current US$ | 8.73 billion current US$ | 14.10 billion current US$ | 5 |
| 2000s | 27.85 billion current US$ | 16.23 billion current US$ | 40.84 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.42 billion current US$ | 35.83 billion current US$ | 51.66 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.23 billion current US$ | 14.23 billion current US$ | 14.23 billion current US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More private sector data for China
- Merchandise trade 32.6% (2025)
- Food imports 8.0% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 50.9% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 2.58 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 619.60 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.3% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 90.5% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 3.77 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 383.15 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,682 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, receipts for travel items in China?
- International tourism, receipts for travel items in China was 14.23 billion current US$ in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, receipts for travel items recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 51.66 billion current US$ in 2013.
- What is the lowest international tourism, receipts for travel items recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.73 billion current US$ in 1995.
- How does China rank for international tourism, receipts for travel items?
- China ranks 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, receipts for travel items rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 68.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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, receipts for travel items (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International tourism receipts for travel items are expenditures by international inbound visitors in the reporting economy. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These receipts should include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.