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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Madagascar's international tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 72.1% on 2019 (from US$204 million to US$57 million).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +16.3% and a typical year strayed about 49.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 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 122.7% in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 75% in 2011. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$15.56 million a year. A straight line explains 45% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2020, Madagascar had the 63rd 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 Madagascar in the 2020 ranking

• Macao SAR, China — 60th of 117: US$82 million
• Ghana — 61st of 117: US$81 million
• Croatia — 62nd of 117: US$63 million
• Brazil — 64th of 117: US$55 million
• Bolivia — 65th of 117: US$52 million
• Mauritius — 66th of 117: US$52 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 26 values

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

• Angola — US$3 million (2020)
• Benin — US$860,000 (2019)
• Botswana — US$6 million (2020)
• Burkina Faso — US$57 million (2019)
• Cabo Verde — US$10 million (2020)
• Cameroon — US$28 million (2019)
• Comoros — US$500,000 (2020)
• Congo, Rep. — US$1.9 million (2016)

More private sector & trade data for Madagascar

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 39.44% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$5.24 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$2.5 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 24.13% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 46.22% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 45.66% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South Asia (% of total merchandise imports) — 12.11% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

US$57 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is up 18.75% from US$48 million in 1995 (0.69% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$204 million in 2019 and the lowest US$29 million in 2011.

How does Madagascar rank?

63rd highest of 117 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Madagascar's international tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 72.1% on 2019 (from US$204 million to US$57 million). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +16.3% and a typical year strayed about 49.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 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.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.

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