United States's international tourism, number of arrivals was 45.04 million in 2020, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 72.25% from 162.28 million in 2010 (12.03% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 45.04 million | 2020 |
| Five years earlier | 176.86 million | 2015 |
| Ten years earlier | 162.28 million | 2010 |
| Highest | 183.18 million | 2006 |
| Lowest | 45.04 million | 2020 |
| Average since 2011 | 158.28 million | 2011–2020 |
| First recorded | 79.73 million |
What the numbers say
In 2020, United States' international tourism, number of arrivals fell 72.8% on 2019 (from 165.48 million to 45.04 million).
Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +5.8% and a typical year strayed about 32.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 156.3% in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 72.8% 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 21% 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, United States had the 3rd highest value of the 130 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 45.04 million | 2020 |
| World | 2.4 billion | 2019 |
| North America | 198.71 million | 2019 |
| High income | 1.52 billion | 2019 |
Closest to United States in the 2020 ranking
What this measures
International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.
Limitations: Tourism can be either domestic or international. The data refers to international tourism, where the traveler's country of residence differs from the visiting country. International tourism consists of inbound (arrival) and outbound (departures) tourism. The data are from the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a United Nations agency. The data on inbound and outbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals and departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival. The data on inbound tourism show the arrivals of nonresident tourists (overnight visitors) at national borders.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.
All 26 values
| Year | International tourism, number of arrivals |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 45,037,000 |
| 2019 | 165,478,000 |
| 2018 | 169,324,922 |
| 2017 | 174,291,750 |
| 2016 | 175,261,484 |
| 2015 | 176,864,531 |
| 2014 | 178,311,359 |
| 2013 | 179,309,906 |
| 2012 | 171,629,891 |
| 2011 | 147,271,422 |
| 2010 |
International tourism, number of arrivals in nearby economies
More private sector & trade data for United States
- Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 18.5% (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$3.51 trillion (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$2.19 trillion (2025)
- Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 1.63% (2023)
- Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 52.52% (2023)
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 47.36% (2023)
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports) — 22.61% (2023)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is United States's international tourism, number of arrivals?
- 45.04 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1995?
- It is down 43.51% from 79.73 million in 1995 (2.26% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 183.18 million in 2006 and the lowest 45.04 million in 2020.
- How does United States rank?
- 3rd highest of 130 economies with data for 2020.
- Is the latest change in international tourism, number of arrivals unusual for United States?
- In 2020, United States' international tourism, number of arrivals fell 72.8% on 2019 (from 165.48 million to 45.04 million). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +5.8% and a typical year strayed about 32.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 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.ARVL, 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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