International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in Malaysia
Malaysia: International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) was 3.00 billion current US$ in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, receipts for travel items in Malaysia, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2020, international tourism, receipts for travel items in Malaysia stood at 3.00 billion current US$.
The figure is down 84.8% on the previous year and down 83.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, receipts for travel items in Malaysia peaked at 22.60 billion current US$ in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2.38 billion current US$, in 1998.
That places Malaysia 39th out of 191 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3.97 billion current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 4.48 billion current US$ | +12.8% |
| 1997 | 3.74 billion current US$ | -16.4% |
| 1998 | 2.38 billion current US$ | -36.4% |
| 1999 | 3.59 billion current US$ | +50.7% |
| 2000 | 5.01 billion current US$ | +39.7% |
| 2001 | 6.86 billion current US$ | +37.0% |
| 2002 | 7.12 billion current US$ | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 5.90 billion current US$ | -17.1% |
| 2004 | 8.20 billion current US$ | +39.0% |
| 2005 | 8.85 billion current US$ | +7.8% |
| 2006 | 10.43 billion current US$ | +17.9% |
| 2007 | 14.05 billion current US$ | +34.7% |
| 2008 | 15.29 billion current US$ | +8.8% |
| 2009 | 15.80 billion current US$ | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 18.15 billion current US$ | +14.9% |
| 2011 | 19.65 billion current US$ | +8.2% |
| 2012 | 20.25 billion current US$ | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 21.50 billion current US$ | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 22.60 billion current US$ | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 17.67 billion current US$ | -21.8% |
| 2016 | 18.09 billion current US$ | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 18.39 billion current US$ | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 19.61 billion current US$ | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 19.83 billion current US$ | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 3.00 billion current US$ | -84.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 3.00 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 426.00 million current US$, 7.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 3.00 billion current US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 186.00 million current US$, 16.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in Malaysia 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 | -84.8% | 19.83 billion current US$ | 3.00 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.63 billion current US$ | 2.38 billion current US$ | 4.48 billion current US$ | 5 |
| 2000s | 9.75 billion current US$ | 5.01 billion current US$ | 15.80 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.57 billion current US$ | 17.67 billion current US$ | 22.60 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.00 billion current US$ | 3.00 billion current US$ | 3.00 billion current US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More private sector data for Malaysia
- Merchandise trade 151.7% (2025)
- Food imports 8.3% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 72.0% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 340.44 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 63.47 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 10.4% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 72.8% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 376.04 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 64.94 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 10,452 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, receipts for travel items in Malaysia?
- International tourism, receipts for travel items in Malaysia was 3.00 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.60 billion current US$ in 2014.
- What is the lowest international tourism, receipts for travel items recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.38 billion current US$ in 1998.
- How does Malaysia rank for international tourism, receipts for travel items?
- Malaysia ranks 39th out of 191 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, receipts for travel items rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 83.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.