Belgium: International tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Belgium's international tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 49.8% on 2019 (from US$1.68 billion to US$844 million).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2019), the average change was +3.9% and a typical year strayed about 20.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 34.5% in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 53.2% in 2002. 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 less than 1% 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, Belgium had the 17th highest value of the 117 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 Belgium in the 2020 ranking

• Thailand — 14th of 117: US$1.16 billion
• Hungary — 15th of 117: US$995 million
• Switzerland — 16th of 117: US$956 million
• Japan — 18th of 117: US$798 million
• Philippines — 19th of 117: US$759 million
• Panama — 20th of 117: US$724 million

What this measures

International tourism receipts for passenger transport items are expenditures by international inbound visitors for all services provided in the international transportation by resident 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 19 values

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

• Albania — US$109 million (2020)
• Armenia — US$10 million (2020)
• Austria — US$1.48 billion (2020)
• Azerbaijan — US$36 million (2020)
• Belarus — US$187 million (2020)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — US$12 million (2020)
• Bulgaria — US$156 million (2020)
• Croatia — US$63 million (2020)

More private sector & trade data for Belgium

• Agricultural raw materials imports (% of merchandise imports) — 1.01% (2025)
• Food imports (% of merchandise imports) — 12.82% (2025)
• Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) — 14.56% (2025)
• Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) — 65.82% (2025)
• Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) — 4.99% (2025)
• Agricultural raw materials exports (% of merchandise exports) — 1.17% (2025)
• Food exports (% of merchandise exports) — 13.81% (2025)
• Fuel exports (% of merchandise exports) — 10.2% (2025)
• Manufactures exports (% of merchandise exports) — 69.37% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

US$844 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 40.44% from US$1.42 billion in 2001 (2.69% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$1.68 billion in 2019 and the lowest US$655 million in 2003.

How does Belgium rank?

17th highest of 117 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Belgium's international tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 49.8% on 2019 (from US$1.68 billion to US$844 million). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2019), the average change was +3.9% and a typical year strayed about 20.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.TRNR.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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.