International tourist departures in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: International tourist departures was 1.13 million departures in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
1.13 million departures
Change on year
up 264.9%
World rank
68th
of 112 countries
All-time high
1.48 million departures
in 2018
All-time low
305,000 departures
in 2020
Years of data
28
1995–2022

International tourist departures in Sri Lanka, 1995–2022

250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M1.5M1995200820221995: 504.0k departures1996: 494.0k departures1997: 531.0k departures1998: 518.0k departures1999: 497.0k departures2000: 524.0k departures2001: 505.0k departures2002: 533.0k departures2003: 561.0k departures2004: 680.0k departures2005: 727.0k departures2006: 757.0k departures2007: 862.0k departures2008: 966.0k departures2009: 963.0k departures2010: 1.1M departures2011: 1.2M departures2012: 1.3M departures2013: 1.3M departures2014: 1.3M departures2015: 1.4M departures2016: 1.4M departures2017: 1.4M departures2018: 1.5M departures2019: 1.4M departures2020: 305.0k departures2021: 309.0k departures2022: 1.1M departures

Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in departures.

Analysis

The most recent figure for international tourist departures in Sri Lanka is 1.13 million departures, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of up 264.9% on the previous year and down 11.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, international tourist departures in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.48 million departures in 2018 and was at its lowest, 305,000 departures, in 2020.

That places Sri Lanka 68th out of 112 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 508,800 departures 494,000 departures 531,000 departures 5
2000s 707,800 departures 505,000 departures 966,000 departures 10
2010s 1.34 million departures 1.12 million departures 1.48 million departures 10
2020s 580,500 departures 305,000 departures 1.13 million departures 3

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 65 Ecuador 1.34 million departures compare
  2. 66 Nepal 1.20 million departures compare
  3. 67 Guatemala 1.18 million departures compare
  4. 69 Estonia 1.09 million departures compare
  5. 70 Venezuela 1.08 million departures compare
  6. 71 Paraguay 988,000 departures compare

See the full ranking of 112 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is international tourist departures in Sri Lanka?
International tourist departures in Sri Lanka was 1.13 million departures in 2022, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest international tourist departures recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 1.48 million departures in 2018.
What is the lowest international tourist departures recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 305,000 departures in 2020.
How does Sri Lanka rank for international tourist departures?
Sri Lanka ranks 68th out of 112 countries with data for 2022.
Is international tourist departures rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of International tourist departures. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
International tourist departures
Unit
departures
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
112 places, 2,384 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of trips by country's residents who travel abroad and stay overnight.