International tourist departures in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: International tourist departures was 1.13 million departures in 2022. ▲ Rising
International tourist departures in Sri Lanka, 1995–2022
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.
International tourist departures in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | departures | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 504,000 departures | — |
| 1996 | 494,000 departures | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 531,000 departures | +7.5% |
| 1998 | 518,000 departures | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 497,000 departures | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 524,000 departures | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 505,000 departures | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 533,000 departures | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 561,000 departures | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 680,000 departures | +21.2% |
| 2005 | 727,000 departures | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 757,000 departures | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 862,000 departures | +13.9% |
| 2008 | 966,000 departures | +12.1% |
| 2009 | 963,000 departures | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 1.12 million departures | +16.5% |
| 2011 | 1.24 million departures | +10.4% |
| 2012 | 1.27 million departures | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 1.26 million departures | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.31 million departures | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 1.36 million departures | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 1.45 million departures | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 1.44 million departures | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.48 million departures | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 1.44 million departures | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 305,000 departures | -78.8% |
| 2021 | 309,000 departures | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 1.13 million departures | +264.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.13 million departures is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.36 million departures, 83% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.13 million departures is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.20 million departures, 94% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourist departures in Sri Lanka 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +264.9% | 309,000 departures | 1.13 million departures |
| 2020 | -78.8% | 1.44 million departures | 305,000 departures |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
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
Number of trips by country's residents who travel abroad and stay overnight.