Europe & Central Asia: International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Europe & Central Asia's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 2.2% on 2018 (from US$66.38 billion to US$64.91 billion).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2018), the average change was +4.7% and a typical year strayed about 9.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 17.1% in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 15% in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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 21 values

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

• Afghanistan — US$19 million (2020)
• Algeria — US$38 million (2020)
• Bahrain — US$917 million (2019)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$69 million (2020)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — US$576 million (2018)
• Israel — US$371 million (2020)
• Jordan — US$27 million (2020)
• Kuwait — US$1.17 billion (2017)

More private sector & trade data for Europe & Central Asia

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 62.17% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$10.09 trillion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$9.97 trillion (2025)
• Agricultural raw materials imports (% of merchandise imports) — 1.14% (2025)
• Food imports (% of merchandise imports) — 10.73% (2025)
• Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) — 9.14% (2025)
• Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) — 68.63% (2025)
• Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) — 3.69% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Europe & Central Asia's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)?

US$64.91 billion in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is up 118% from US$29.78 billion in 1999 (3.97% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$67.43 billion in 2013 and the lowest US$27.97 billion in 2001.

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

In 2019, Europe & Central Asia's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 2.2% on 2018 (from US$66.38 billion to US$64.91 billion). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2018), the average change was +4.7% and a typical year strayed about 9.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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