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

Latest (2018)
5.25 billion current US$
Change on year
up 15.9%
World rank
58th
of 203 countries
All-time high
5.25 billion current US$
in 2018
All-time low
142.00 million current US$
in 1996
Years of data
24
1995–2018

Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in Iran, 1995–2018

02.0B4.0B6.0B1995200620181995: 205.0M current US$1996: 142.0M current US$1997: 190.0M current US$1998: 656.0M current US$1999: 559.0M current US$2000: 677.0M current US$2001: 1.1B current US$2002: 1.6B current US$2003: 1.3B current US$2004: 1.3B current US$2005: 1.0B current US$2006: 1.5B current US$2007: 1.9B current US$2008: 2.0B current US$2009: 2.3B current US$2010: 2.6B current US$2011: 2.5B current US$2012: 2.5B current US$2013: 3.3B current US$2014: 4.2B current US$2015: 4.8B current US$2016: 4.6B current US$2017: 4.5B current US$2018: 5.3B current US$

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 55 Lebanon 5.58 billion current US$ compare
  2. 56 Bahamas 5.54 billion current US$ compare
  3. 57 Argentina 5.39 billion current US$ compare
  4. 59 Ethiopia 5.00 billion current US$ compare
  5. 60 Georgia 4.88 billion current US$ compare
  6. 61 Peru 4.86 billion current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

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

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.