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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Tunisia's international tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 72.7% on 2019 (from US$567 million to US$155 million).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +3.8% and a typical year strayed about 16.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 42.2% in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 72.7% in 2020. 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 downward, about US$37.58 million a year. A straight line explains 50% 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, Tunisia had the 48th 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 Tunisia in the 2020 ranking

• Serbia — 45th of 117: US$177 million
• Israel — 46th of 117: US$161 million
• Bulgaria — 47th of 117: US$156 million
• Kazakhstan — 49th of 117: US$130 million
• Kuwait — 50th of 117: US$127 million
• Costa Rica — 51st of 117: US$123 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

• Afghanistan — US$10 million (2020)
• Algeria — US$7 million (2020)
• Bahrain — US$51 million (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$476 million (2020)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — US$228 million (2018)
• Israel — US$161 million (2020)
• Jordan — US$336 million (2020)
• Kuwait — US$127 million (2020)

More private sector & trade data for Tunisia

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$28.59 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$21.29 billion (2025)
• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 86.75% (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 12.2% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 64.31% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 25.83% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & Central Asia (% of total merchandise imports) — 7.67% (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 Tunisia's international tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$)?

US$155 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is down 49.68% from US$308 million in 1995 (2.71% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$956 million in 2008 and the lowest US$155 million in 2020.

How does Tunisia rank?

48th highest of 117 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Tunisia's international tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 72.7% on 2019 (from US$567 million to US$155 million). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +3.8% and a typical year strayed about 16.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.7 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.

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