Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran

Iran: Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad was 9.27 billion current US$ in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
9.27 billion current US$
Change on year
down 26.2%
World rank
39th
of 199 countries
All-time high
12.57 billion current US$
in 2017
All-time low
155.00 million current US$
in 1998
Years of data
24
1995–2018

Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran, 1995–2018

02.5B5.0B7.5B10.0B12.5B1995200620181995: 247.0M current US$1996: 274.0M current US$1997: 396.0M current US$1998: 155.0M current US$1999: 638.0M current US$2000: 671.0M current US$2001: 714.0M current US$2002: 4.0B current US$2003: 4.1B current US$2004: 4.4B current US$2005: 4.1B current US$2006: 5.1B current US$2007: 7.3B current US$2008: 8.3B current US$2009: 8.5B current US$2010: 10.6B current US$2011: 10.6B current US$2012: 8.4B current US$2013: 9.5B current US$2014: 10.1B current US$2015: 9.7B current US$2016: 11.1B current US$2017: 12.6B current US$2018: 9.3B current US$

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

Analysis

Iran recorded 9.27 billion current US$ for spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in 2018.

The figure is down 26.2% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran peaked at 12.57 billion current US$ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 155.00 million current US$, in 1998.

Iran ranks 39th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran, year by year

Annual values for Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran, 1995 to 2018.
Year current US$ Change
1995 247.00 million current US$ —
1996 274.00 million current US$ +10.9%
1997 396.00 million current US$ +44.5%
1998 155.00 million current US$ -60.9%
1999 638.00 million current US$ +311.6%
2000 671.00 million current US$ +5.2%
2001 714.00 million current US$ +6.4%
2002 3.99 billion current US$ +458.8%
2003 4.12 billion current US$ +3.3%
2004 4.40 billion current US$ +6.8%
2005 4.11 billion current US$ -6.6%
2006 5.07 billion current US$ +23.2%
2007 7.33 billion current US$ +44.8%
2008 8.27 billion current US$ +12.7%
2009 8.50 billion current US$ +2.8%
2010 10.57 billion current US$ +24.3%
2011 10.55 billion current US$ -0.1%
2012 8.44 billion current US$ -20.1%
2013 9.46 billion current US$ +12.2%
2014 10.13 billion current US$ +7.0%
2015 9.66 billion current US$ -4.7%
2016 11.14 billion current US$ +15.4%
2017 12.57 billion current US$ +12.8%
2018 9.27 billion current US$ -26.2%

Iran compared with similar countries

  • Iran's 9.27 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.09 billion current US$, 8.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
  • Iran's 9.27 billion current US$ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.38 billion current US$, 2.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran 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
2002 +458.8% 714.00 million current US$ 3.99 billion current US$
1999 +311.6% 155.00 million current US$ 638.00 million current US$

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 342.00 million current US$ 155.00 million current US$ 638.00 million current US$ 5
2000s 4.72 billion current US$ 671.00 million current US$ 8.50 billion current US$ 10
2010s 10.20 billion current US$ 8.44 billion current US$ 12.57 billion current US$ 9

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 36 Romania 11.83 billion current US$ compare
  2. 37 Iraq 10.56 billion current US$ compare
  3. 38 Argentina 9.84 billion current US$ compare
  4. 40 Israel 8.95 billion current US$ compare
  5. 41 Czechia 8.93 billion current US$ compare
  6. 42 Portugal 8.49 billion current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran?
Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran was 9.27 billion current US$ in 2018, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 12.57 billion current US$ in 2017.
What is the lowest spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 155.00 million current US$ in 1998.
How does Iran rank for spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad?
Iran ranks 39th out of 199 countries with data for 2018.
Is spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad in Iran. Statizoid, drawing on UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/spending-by-a-countrys-residents-while-travelling-abroad/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Spending by a country’s residents while travelling abroad
Unit
current US$
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 4,611 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Money spent by a country’s residents abroad on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, shopping, and fares paid to foreign airlines. The data is expressed in current US dollars and is not adjusted for inflation or differences in living costs between countries.