Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in India
India: Travel services (% of commercial service imports) was 17.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Travel services in India, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
In 2025, travel services in India stood at 17.6%.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in India peaked at 18.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1975.
That places India 111th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in India, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 2.4% | — |
| 1976 | 3.5% | +46.0% |
| 1977 | 4.2% | +19.3% |
| 1978 | 4.8% | +14.1% |
| 1979 | 5.3% | +11.0% |
| 1980 | 3.9% | -26.5% |
| 1981 | 4.6% | +17.3% |
| 1982 | 5.6% | +22.6% |
| 1983 | 6.2% | +11.9% |
| 1984 | 8.6% | +37.1% |
| 1985 | 9.3% | +8.4% |
| 1986 | 7.9% | -15.0% |
| 1987 | 7.8% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 7.7% | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 7.2% | -5.7% |
| 1990 | 6.6% | -8.7% |
| 1991 | 7.5% | +13.1% |
| 1992 | 7.1% | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 7.5% | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 9.6% | +28.2% |
| 1995 | 9.9% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 8.3% | -16.2% |
| 1997 | 10.9% | +31.7% |
| 1998 | 12.1% | +10.5% |
| 1999 | 11.8% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 14.2% | +20.7% |
| 2001 | 15.2% | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 14.4% | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 14.5% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 13.7% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 13.2% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 11.8% | -11.0% |
| 2007 | 11.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | +48.1% |
| 2009 | 17.8% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 13.4% | -24.6% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | +32.8% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | -12.5% |
| 2013 | 15.0% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 18.2% | +21.7% |
| 2015 | 18.1% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 17.2% | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 17.0% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 17.3% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 17.7% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 10.9% | -38.2% |
| 2021 | 10.4% | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 14.7% | +41.2% |
| 2023 | 18.8% | +27.7% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | -4.8% |
| 2025 | 17.6% | -1.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 17.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.1%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 17.6% is below the median for South Asia, which is 26.3%, 67% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.0% | 2.4% | 5.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 6.9% | 3.9% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.1% | 6.6% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.4% | 11.8% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.7% | 13.4% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.1% | 10.4% | 18.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 108 Cayman Islands 18.0% compare
- 109 Saint Kitts and Nevis 17.9% compare
- 110 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 17.8% compare
- 112 Kenya 17.6% compare
- 113 Mexico 17.5% compare
- 114 France 17.2% compare
More private sector data for India
- Merchandise trade 30.3% (2025)
- Food imports 5.0% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 49.6% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 753.48 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 201.38 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 11.9% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 70.1% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 445.28 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 411.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 304.18 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in India?
- Travel services in India was 17.6% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 18.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1975.
- How does India rank for travel services?
- India ranks 111th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.