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

Key figures

Over five years it is down 65.85% from US$82 million in 2014 (19.34% a year on average, compounded). Since 1997 it is up 460% from US$5 million in 1997 (8.15% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 2 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2019, Myanmar's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 3.4% on 2018 (from US$29 million to US$28 million).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2018), the average change was +21.1% and a typical year strayed about 105.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 412.5% in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 81.1% in 2017. 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 2019 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% of the movement over 9 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 2019, Myanmar had the 8th highest value of the 12 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 Myanmar in the 2019 ranking

• Burkina Faso — 5th of 12: US$70.6 million
• Niger — 6th of 12: US$42 million
• Benin — 7th of 12: US$36 million
• Togo — 9th of 12: US$18 million
• Sierra Leone — 10th of 12: US$6 million
• Tuvalu — 11th of 12: US$3.5 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 21 values

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

• Australia — US$1.17 billion (2020)
• Cambodia — US$44 million (2020)
• Fiji — US$2 million (2020)
• French Polynesia — US$74 million (2016)
• Indonesia — US$327 million (2020)
• Japan — US$1.29 billion (2020)
• Korea, Rep. — US$548 million (2020)
• Lao PDR — US$9 million (2020)

More private sector & trade data for Myanmar

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 36.28% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$14.33 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$15.3 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 34.33% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 4.32% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports) — 61.35% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South Asia (% of total merchandise imports) — 3.02% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

US$28 million in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is up 460% from US$5 million in 1997 (8.15% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$164 million in 2016 and the lowest US$700,000 in 2008.

How does Myanmar rank?

8th highest of 12 economies with data for 2019.

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

In 2019, Myanmar's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 3.4% on 2018 (from US$29 million to US$28 million). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2018), the average change was +21.1% and a typical year strayed about 105.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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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