Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan

Japan: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 24.00 million trips in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
24.00 million trips
Change on year
up 603.8%
World rank
12th
of 179 countries
All-time high
30.12 million trips
in 2019
All-time low
227,500 trips
in 2021
Years of data
29
1995–2023

Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan, 1995–2023

010.0M20.0M30.0M1995200920231995: 2.3M trips1996: 2.7M trips1997: 3.0M trips1998: 3.0M trips1999: 3.2M trips2000: 3.5M trips2001: 3.5M trips2002: 4.0M trips2003: 3.9M trips2004: 4.8M trips2005: 5.3M trips2006: 5.8M trips2007: 6.8M trips2008: 6.9M trips2009: 5.6M trips2010: 7.2M trips2011: 5.0M trips2012: 6.9M trips2013: 8.9M trips2014: 11.9M trips2015: 18.1M trips2016: 22.3M trips2017: 26.9M trips2018: 29.4M trips2019: 30.1M trips2020: 3.9M trips2021: 227.5k trips2022: 3.4M trips2023: 24.0M trips

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan is 24.00 million trips, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 603.8% on the previous year and up 169.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan peaked at 30.12 million trips in 2019 and was at its lowest, 227,500 trips, in 2021.

Japan ranks 12th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan, 1995 to 2023.
Year trips Change
1995 2.30 million trips
1996 2.71 million trips +18.0%
1997 3.02 million trips +11.3%
1998 3.00 million trips -0.5%
1999 3.25 million trips +8.3%
2000 3.46 million trips +6.6%
2001 3.54 million trips +2.0%
2002 3.95 million trips +11.8%
2003 3.93 million trips -0.6%
2004 4.75 million trips +21.0%
2005 5.25 million trips +10.4%
2006 5.81 million trips +10.7%
2007 6.77 million trips +16.5%
2008 6.90 million trips +1.8%
2009 5.60 million trips -18.8%
2010 7.22 million trips +28.9%
2011 4.97 million trips -31.1%
2012 6.92 million trips +39.0%
2013 8.90 million trips +28.7%
2014 11.88 million trips +33.5%
2015 18.10 million trips +52.4%
2016 22.34 million trips +23.4%
2017 26.91 million trips +20.5%
2018 29.40 million trips +9.2%
2019 30.12 million trips +2.5%
2020 3.90 million trips -87.1%
2021 227,500 trips -94.2%
2022 3.41 million trips +1398.8%
2023 24.00 million trips +603.8%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 24.00 million trips is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.47 million trips, 9.7× the median. (63 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 24.00 million trips is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 466,300 trips, 51.5× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan 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 +1398.8% 227,500 trips 3.41 million trips
2023 +603.8% 3.41 million trips 24.00 million trips
2021 -94.2% 3.90 million trips 227,500 trips
2020 -87.1% 30.12 million trips 3.90 million trips

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2.85 million trips 2.30 million trips 3.25 million trips 5
2000s 5.00 million trips 3.46 million trips 6.90 million trips 10
2010s 16.67 million trips 4.97 million trips 30.12 million trips 10
2020s 7.88 million trips 227,500 trips 24.00 million trips 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 9 Denmark 30.29 million trips compare
  2. 10 Saudi Arabia 27.75 million trips compare
  3. 11 Russia 26.21 million trips compare
  4. 13 Hong Kong 20.72 million trips compare
  5. 14 Poland 19.72 million trips compare
  6. 15 Portugal 19.03 million trips compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan?
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan was 24.00 million trips in 2023, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 30.12 million trips in 2019.
What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 227,500 trips in 2021.
How does Japan rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
Japan ranks 12th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 169.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/international-trips-for-personal-reasons/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes
Unit
trips
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 4,054 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.