Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China

China: Spending by international visitors while visiting a country was 39.75 billion current US$ in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
39.75 billion current US$
Change on year
up 58.8%
World rank
13th
of 203 countries
All-time high
39.75 billion current US$
in 2024
All-time low
9.95 billion current US$
in 2020
Years of data
13
1997–2024

Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China, 1997–2024

10.0B20.0B30.0B40.0B1997201020241997: 12.6B current US$1998: 13.2B current US$1999: 15.0B current US$2000: 17.3B current US$2001: 19.0B current US$2002: 21.7B current US$2003: 18.7B current US$2004: 27.8B current US$2020: 10.0B current US$2021: 11.3B current US$2022: 13.5B current US$2023: 25.0B current US$2024: 39.7B current US$

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China is 39.75 billion current US$, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of up 58.8% on the previous year and up 299.4% over five years.

Over the whole period, spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China peaked at 39.75 billion current US$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.95 billion current US$, in 2020.

That places China 13th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China, year by year

Annual values for Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China, 1997 to 2024.
Year current US$ Change
1997 12.63 billion current US$
1998 13.23 billion current US$ +4.8%
1999 15.01 billion current US$ +13.4%
2000 17.32 billion current US$ +15.4%
2001 19.01 billion current US$ +9.7%
2002 21.74 billion current US$ +14.4%
2003 18.71 billion current US$ -14.0%
2004 27.75 billion current US$ +48.4%
2020 9.95 billion current US$ -64.1%
2021 11.33 billion current US$ +13.9%
2022 13.47 billion current US$ +18.9%
2023 25.04 billion current US$ +85.8%
2024 39.75 billion current US$ +58.8%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 39.75 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.79 billion current US$, 22.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • China's 39.75 billion current US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 913.53 million current US$, 43.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China 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
2020 -64.1% 27.75 billion current US$ 9.95 billion current US$
2023 +85.8% 13.47 billion current US$ 25.04 billion current US$

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 13.62 billion current US$ 12.63 billion current US$ 15.01 billion current US$ 3
2000s 20.91 billion current US$ 17.32 billion current US$ 27.75 billion current US$ 5
2020s 19.91 billion current US$ 9.95 billion current US$ 39.75 billion current US$ 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 10 Thailand 46.57 billion current US$ compare
  2. 11 Saudi Arabia 46.34 billion current US$ compare
  3. 12 Germany 40.13 billion current US$ compare
  4. 14 India 37.02 billion current US$ compare
  5. 15 Mexico 36.24 billion current US$ compare
  6. 16 Portugal 35.36 billion current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China?
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China was 39.75 billion current US$ in 2024, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest spending by international visitors while visiting a country recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 39.75 billion current US$ in 2024.
What is the lowest spending by international visitors while visiting a country recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 9.95 billion current US$ in 2020.
How does China rank for spending by international visitors while visiting a country?
China ranks 13th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Spending by international visitors while visiting a country. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in China. Statizoid, drawing on UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/spending-by-international-visitors-while-visiting-a-country/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country
Unit
current US$
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
203 places, 4,579 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Money received by the destination country from foreign visitors, including spending on accommodation, food, local transport, entertainment, shopping, and fares paid to the country’s own airlines. The data is expressed in current US dollars and is not adjusted for inflation or differences in living costs between countries.