International tourist departures in Belgium

Belgium: International tourist departures was 17.91 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
17.91 million
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
14th
of 112 countries
All-time high
17.91 million
in 2024
All-time low
5.64 million
in 1996
Years of data
29
1996–2024

International tourist departures in Belgium, 1996–2024

5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M15.0M17.5M1996201020241996: 5.6M1997: 7.5M1998: 7.8M1999: 6.4M2000: 7.9M2001: 6.6M2002: 6.8M2003: 7.3M2004: 8.8M2005: 9.3M2006: 7.9M2007: 8.4M2008: 8.9M2009: 8.8M2010: 8.8M2011: 9.7M2012: 9.6M2013: 10.8M2014: 11.0M2015: 10.8M2016: 13.4M2017: 14.6M2018: 15.6M2019: 17.3M2020: 7.1M2021: 8.6M2022: 16.0M2023: 17.3M2024: 17.9M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, international tourist departures in Belgium stood at 17.91 million. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 63.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, international tourist departures in Belgium peaked at 17.91 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.64 million, in 1996.

That places Belgium 14th out of 112 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.

International tourist departures in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for International tourist departures in Belgium, 1996 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1996 5.64 million —
1997 7.55 million +33.7%
1998 7.78 million +3.0%
1999 6.41 million -17.6%
2000 7.93 million +23.7%
2001 6.57 million -17.2%
2002 6.77 million +3.1%
2003 7.27 million +7.3%
2004 8.78 million +20.8%
2005 9.33 million +6.2%
2006 7.85 million -15.8%
2007 8.37 million +6.6%
2008 8.89 million +6.2%
2009 8.78 million -1.3%
2010 8.80 million +0.3%
2011 9.73 million +10.5%
2012 9.58 million -1.6%
2013 10.80 million +12.8%
2014 10.99 million +1.7%
2015 10.84 million -1.4%
2016 13.37 million +23.4%
2017 14.63 million +9.4%
2018 15.63 million +6.8%
2019 17.32 million +10.8%
2020 7.11 million -59.0%
2021 8.59 million +20.9%
2022 16.00 million +86.3%
2023 17.30 million +8.1%
2024 17.91 million +3.6%

Belgium compared with similar countries

  • Belgium's 17.91 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.86 million, 3.7× the median. (51 countries reporting)
  • Belgium's 17.91 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.98 million, 3.6× the median. (42 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where International tourist departures in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2022 +86.3% 8.59 million 16.00 million
2020 -59.0% 17.32 million 7.11 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.84 million 5.64 million 7.78 million 4
2000s 8.05 million 6.57 million 9.33 million 10
2010s 12.17 million 8.80 million 17.32 million 10
2020s 13.38 million 7.11 million 17.91 million 5

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 11 China 20.33 million compare
  2. 12 Mexico 18.82 million compare
  3. 13 Sweden 18.34 million compare
  4. 15 Taiwan 16.85 million compare
  5. 16 Austria 16.42 million compare
  6. 17 Ukraine 15.12 million compare

See the full ranking of 112 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is international tourist departures in Belgium?
International tourist departures in Belgium was 17.91 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest international tourist departures recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 17.91 million in 2024.
What is the lowest international tourist departures recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 5.64 million in 1996.
How does Belgium rank for international tourist departures?
Belgium ranks 14th out of 112 countries with data for 2024.
Is international tourist departures rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 63.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of International tourist departures. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

International tourist departures in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/international-tourist-departures/belgium/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/international-tourist-departures/belgium/">International tourist departures in Belgium</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
International tourist departures
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
112 places, 2,384 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed