Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malaysia
Malaysia: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 18.92 million trips in 2008. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malaysia, 1995–2008
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in trips.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 18.92 million trips for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in 2008. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 307.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malaysia peaked at 18.92 million trips in 2008 and was at its lowest, 4.64 million trips, in 1998.
That places Malaysia 16th out of 179 countries with data for 2008, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | trips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 6.44 million trips | — |
| 1996 | 6.20 million trips | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 5.35 million trips | -13.6% |
| 1998 | 4.64 million trips | -13.3% |
| 1999 | 6.77 million trips | +45.8% |
| 2000 | 8.55 million trips | +26.4% |
| 2001 | 10.53 million trips | +23.1% |
| 2002 | 10.48 million trips | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 8.46 million trips | -19.3% |
| 2004 | 12.48 million trips | +47.6% |
| 2005 | 12.36 million trips | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 13.93 million trips | +12.7% |
| 2007 | 17.99 million trips | +29.1% |
| 2008 | 18.92 million trips | +5.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 18.92 million trips is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.32 million trips, 14.4× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 18.92 million trips is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 466,300 trips, 40.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.88 million trips | 4.64 million trips | 6.77 million trips | 5 |
| 2000s | 12.63 million trips | 8.46 million trips | 18.92 million trips | 9 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malaysia?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malaysia was 18.92 million trips in 2008, 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.92 million trips in 2008.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.64 million trips in 1998.
- How does Malaysia rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
- Malaysia ranks 16th out of 179 countries with data for 2008.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 307.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.