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What you should know about this indicator

  • Total international tourism receipts measure all the money a country earns from foreign visitors.
  • This includes spending within the country (accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, shopping, cruises) plus fares paid to the country's airlines.
  • All types of foreign visitors are included, such as students and seasonal workers, which can be significant in certain countries.
  • A high percentage means that the country earns a large amount from foreign visitors relative to the size of the economy. A low percentage means it earns relatively little.
  • In small countries with a lot of tourism, this ratio can look very large. This is because this indicator compares total international tourist spending to the overall size of the economy, . It is not the same as the tourism sector's contribution to GDP, which is shown in this other chart.
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP
Money received by the destination country from foreign visitors, including spending on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, shopping, and fares paid to the country’s own airlines, as a share of, as a share of .
Source
UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
January 21, 2026
Next expected update
January 2027
Date range
1995–2024
Unit
%

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

UN Tourism – UN Tourism Statistics Database

UN World Tourism Organization collects data from countries through annual questionnaires that follow the International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics (IRTS 2008) standard, a framework approved by the United Nations. The data covers various aspects of tourism, such as inbound tourism (including arrivals by region, main purpose, and mode of transport, as well as accommodation and tourism expenditure in the country), domestic tourism (including trips and accommodation), outbound tourism (including departures and tourism expenditure in other countries), tourism industries (such as accommodation in hotels and similar establishments), and employment (including the number of employees in tourism industries).

Retrieved on
January 21, 2026
Retrieved from
https://www.untourism.int/tourism-statistics/tourism-statistics-database
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
"World Tourism Organization (2025). UN Tourism Statistics Database, Madrid. Data updated on 23 December 2025. More information: https://www.untourism.int/tourism-statistics/tourism-statistics-database"

UN World Tourism Organization collects data from countries through annual questionnaires that follow the International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics (IRTS 2008) standard, a framework approved by the United Nations. The data covers various aspects of tourism, such as inbound tourism (including arrivals by region, main purpose, and mode of transport, as well as accommodation and tourism expenditure in the country), domestic tourism (including trips and accommodation), outbound tourism (including departures and tourism expenditure in other countries), tourism industries (such as accommodation in hotels and similar establishments), and employment (including the number of employees in tourism industries).

Retrieved on
January 21, 2026
Retrieved from
https://www.untourism.int/tourism-statistics/tourism-statistics-database
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
"World Tourism Organization (2025). UN Tourism Statistics Database, Madrid. Data updated on 23 December 2025. More information: https://www.untourism.int/tourism-statistics/tourism-statistics-database"

National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates – World Development Indicators

The World Development Indicators (WDI) database, published by the World Bank, is a comprehensive collection of global development data, providing key economic, social, and environmental statistics. It includes over 1,500 indicators covering more than 200 countries and territories, with data spanning several decades. WDI serves as a vital resource for policymakers, researchers, businesses, and analysts seeking to understand global trends and make data-driven decisions. The database covers a wide range of topics, including economic growth, education, health, poverty, trade, energy, infrastructure, governance, and environmental sustainability. The indicators are sourced from reputable national and international agencies, ensuring high-quality, consistent, and comparable data. Users can access the database through interactive online tools, API services, and downloadable datasets, facilitating detailed analysis and visualization. WDI is also used for tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global development initiatives. By providing accessible and reliable statistics, it helps to inform policy discussions and strategies globally. Whether for academic research, policy planning, or economic analysis, the World Development Indicators database is an essential tool for understanding and addressing global development challenges.

Retrieved on
July 14, 2026
Retrieved from
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks;
National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD);
Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Indicator NY.GDP.MKTP.CD (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD). World Development Indicators - World Bank (2026). Accessed on 2026-07-14.

The World Development Indicators (WDI) database, published by the World Bank, is a comprehensive collection of global development data, providing key economic, social, and environmental statistics. It includes over 1,500 indicators covering more than 200 countries and territories, with data spanning several decades. WDI serves as a vital resource for policymakers, researchers, businesses, and analysts seeking to understand global trends and make data-driven decisions. The database covers a wide range of topics, including economic growth, education, health, poverty, trade, energy, infrastructure, governance, and environmental sustainability. The indicators are sourced from reputable national and international agencies, ensuring high-quality, consistent, and comparable data. Users can access the database through interactive online tools, API services, and downloadable datasets, facilitating detailed analysis and visualization. WDI is also used for tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global development initiatives. By providing accessible and reliable statistics, it helps to inform policy discussions and strategies globally. Whether for academic research, policy planning, or economic analysis, the World Development Indicators database is an essential tool for understanding and addressing global development challenges.

Retrieved on
July 14, 2026
Retrieved from
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks;
National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD);
Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Indicator NY.GDP.MKTP.CD (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD). World Development Indicators - World Bank (2026). Accessed on 2026-07-14.

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Citations

How to cite this page

To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP”, part of the following publication: Bastian Herre and Veronika Samborska (2023) - “Tourism”. Data adapted from UN Tourism, National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260717-115345/grapher/spending-by-international-visitors-while-visiting-a-country-as-a-share-of-gdp.html [online resource] (archived on July 17, 2026).

How to cite this data

In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. “Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP” [dataset]. UN Tourism, “UN Tourism Statistics Database”; National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates, “World Development Indicators 129” [original data]. Retrieved July 17, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260717-115345/grapher/spending-by-international-visitors-while-visiting-a-country-as-a-share-of-gdp.html (archived on July 17, 2026).

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