Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in Iran
Iran: Spending by international visitors while visiting a country was 5.25 billion current US$ in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in Iran, 1995–2018
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Iran recorded 5.25 billion current US$ for spending by international visitors while visiting a country in 2018. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.9% on the previous year and up 165.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, spending by international visitors while visiting a country in Iran peaked at 5.25 billion current US$ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 142.00 million current US$, in 1996.
Iran ranks 58th of 203 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in Iran, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 205.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 142.00 million current US$ | -30.7% |
| 1997 | 190.00 million current US$ | +33.8% |
| 1998 | 656.00 million current US$ | +245.3% |
| 1999 | 559.00 million current US$ | -14.8% |
| 2000 | 677.00 million current US$ | +21.1% |
| 2001 | 1.12 billion current US$ | +65.7% |
| 2002 | 1.61 billion current US$ | +43.2% |
| 2003 | 1.27 billion current US$ | -21.2% |
| 2004 | 1.30 billion current US$ | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 1.02 billion current US$ | -21.5% |
| 2006 | 1.46 billion current US$ | +42.8% |
| 2007 | 1.95 billion current US$ | +33.2% |
| 2008 | 1.98 billion current US$ | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 2.26 billion current US$ | +14.2% |
| 2010 | 2.63 billion current US$ | +16.5% |
| 2011 | 2.49 billion current US$ | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 2.48 billion current US$ | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 3.31 billion current US$ | +33.1% |
| 2014 | 4.20 billion current US$ | +27.0% |
| 2015 | 4.77 billion current US$ | +13.7% |
| 2016 | 4.63 billion current US$ | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 4.53 billion current US$ | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 5.25 billion current US$ | +15.9% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 5.25 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.79 billion current US$, 2.9× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Iran's 5.25 billion current US$ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.70 billion current US$, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +245.3% | 190.00 million current US$ | 656.00 million current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 350.40 million current US$ | 142.00 million current US$ | 656.00 million current US$ | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.47 billion current US$ | 677.00 million current US$ | 2.26 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.81 billion current US$ | 2.48 billion current US$ | 5.25 billion current US$ | 9 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More reference data data for Iran
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Enteric Fermentation 35,629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Crop Residues 1,936 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 34.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Burning - Crop residues 281.19 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is spending by international visitors while visiting a country in Iran?
- Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in Iran was 5.25 billion current US$ in 2018, 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 5.25 billion current US$ in 2018.
- What is the lowest spending by international visitors while visiting a country recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 142.00 million current US$ in 1996.
- How does Iran rank for spending by international visitors while visiting a country?
- Iran ranks 58th out of 203 countries with data for 2018.
- Is spending by international visitors while visiting a country rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 165.5%. 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 international visitors while visiting a country. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.