Bangladesh: International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Bangladesh's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 43.5% on 2019 (from US$469 million to US$265 million).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2019), the average change was +10.3% and a typical year strayed about 28.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 63.8% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 60.1% in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 23% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Bangladesh had the 38th highest value of the 123 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bangladesh in the 2020 ranking

• Indonesia — 35th of 123: US$327 million
• Philippines — 36th of 123: US$304 million
• Finland — 37th of 123: US$294 million
• Zambia — 39th of 123: US$240 million
• Dominican Republic — 40th of 123: US$230 million
• Bulgaria — 41st of 123: US$215 million

What this measures

International tourism expenditures for passenger transport items are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries for all services provided during international transportation by nonresident carriers. Also included are passenger services performed within an economy by nonresident carriers. Excluded are passenger services provided to nonresidents by resident carriers within the resident economies; these are included in travel items. In addition to the services covered by passenger fares--including fares that are a part of package tours but excluding cruise fares, which are included in travel--passenger services include such items as charges for excess baggage, vehicles, or other personal accompanying effects and expenditures for food, drink, or other items for which passengers make expenditures while on board carriers. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 25 values

International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) in nearby economies

• Bhutan — US$1 million (2018)
• India — US$3.2 billion (2020)
• Maldives — US$14 million (2020)
• Nepal — US$4 million (2020)
• Sri Lanka — US$354 million (2020)

More private sector & trade data for Bangladesh

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 25.76% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$69.37 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$48.17 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports to economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise exports) — 2.33% (2023)
• Merchandise exports to high-income economies (% of total merchandise exports) — 88.53% (2023)
• Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise exports) — 6.91% (2023)
• Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise exports) — 3.1% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Bangladesh's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)?

US$265 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

It is up 128.45% from US$116 million in 1996 (3.5% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$958 million in 2013 and the lowest US$116 million in 1996.

How does Bangladesh rank?

38th highest of 123 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) unusual for Bangladesh?

In 2020, Bangladesh's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 43.5% on 2019 (from US$469 million to US$265 million). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2019), the average change was +10.3% and a typical year strayed about 28.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.TRNX.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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