Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 27.75 million trips in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Saudi Arabia, 1995–2024
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in trips.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 27.75 million trips for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.6% on the previous year and up 78.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Saudi Arabia peaked at 27.75 million trips in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.46 million trips, in 2021.
Saudi Arabia ranks 10th 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | trips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4.40 million trips | — |
| 2000 | 5.61 million trips | +27.4% |
| 2004 | 6.22 million trips | +10.9% |
| 2005 | 6.09 million trips | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 7.02 million trips | +15.3% |
| 2007 | 8.87 million trips | +26.4% |
| 2008 | 11.10 million trips | +25.1% |
| 2009 | 9.29 million trips | -16.3% |
| 2010 | 8.19 million trips | -11.9% |
| 2011 | 12.27 million trips | +49.8% |
| 2012 | 13.51 million trips | +10.1% |
| 2013 | 14.30 million trips | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 15.58 million trips | +9.0% |
| 2015 | 16.11 million trips | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 14.04 million trips | -12.9% |
| 2017 | 13.41 million trips | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 12.88 million trips | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 14.36 million trips | +11.5% |
| 2020 | 3.37 million trips | -76.6% |
| 2021 | 2.46 million trips | -26.8% |
| 2022 | 14.97 million trips | +507.6% |
| 2023 | 25.56 million trips | +70.7% |
| 2024 | 27.75 million trips | +8.6% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 27.75 million trips is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.47 million trips, 11.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 27.75 million trips is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.00 million trips, 9.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Saudi Arabia 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 | +507.6% | 2.46 million trips | 14.97 million trips |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.40 million trips | 4.40 million trips | 4.40 million trips | 1 |
| 2000s | 7.74 million trips | 5.61 million trips | 11.10 million trips | 7 |
| 2010s | 13.46 million trips | 8.19 million trips | 16.11 million trips | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.82 million trips | 2.46 million trips | 27.75 million trips | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Saudi Arabia?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Saudi Arabia was 27.75 million trips in 2024, 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 27.75 million trips in 2024.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.46 million trips in 2021.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 10th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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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CSV · JSON — 23 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.