Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates: Spending by international visitors while visiting a country was 34.44 billion current US$ in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
34.44 billion current US$
Change on year
up 39.9%
World rank
17th
of 203 countries
All-time high
38.41 billion current US$
in 2019
All-time low
632.00 million current US$
in 1995
Years of data
27
1995–2021

Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in United Arab Emirates, 1995–2021

010.0B20.0B30.0B40.0B1995200820211995: 632.0M current US$1996: 743.0M current US$1997: 814.0M current US$1998: 859.0M current US$1999: 893.0M current US$2000: 1.1B current US$2001: 1.2B current US$2002: 1.3B current US$2003: 1.4B current US$2004: 1.6B current US$2005: 3.2B current US$2006: 5.0B current US$2007: 6.1B current US$2008: 7.2B current US$2009: 7.4B current US$2010: 8.6B current US$2011: 9.2B current US$2012: 10.9B current US$2013: 12.4B current US$2014: 15.2B current US$2015: 25.6B current US$2016: 28.7B current US$2017: 29.7B current US$2018: 34.6B current US$2019: 38.4B current US$2020: 24.6B current US$2021: 34.4B current US$

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

Analysis

United Arab Emirates recorded 34.44 billion current US$ for spending by international visitors while visiting a country in 2021.

The figure is up 39.9% on the previous year and up 274.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, spending by international visitors while visiting a country in United Arab Emirates peaked at 38.41 billion current US$ in 2019 and was at its lowest, 632.00 million current US$, in 1995.

That places United Arab Emirates 17th out of 203 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 788.20 million current US$ 632.00 million current US$ 893.00 million current US$ 5
2000s 3.54 billion current US$ 1.06 billion current US$ 7.35 billion current US$ 10
2010s 21.33 billion current US$ 8.58 billion current US$ 38.41 billion current US$ 10
2020s 29.53 billion current US$ 24.62 billion current US$ 34.44 billion current US$ 2

Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates

  1. 14 India 37.02 billion current US$ compare
  2. 15 Mexico 36.24 billion current US$ compare
  3. 16 Portugal 35.36 billion current US$ compare
  4. 18 Macao 32.41 billion current US$ compare
  5. 19 Austria 29.24 billion current US$ compare
  6. 20 Switzerland 26.49 billion current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More reference data data for United Arab Emirates

All data for United Arab Emirates →

Frequently asked questions

What is spending by international visitors while visiting a country in United Arab Emirates?
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country in United Arab Emirates was 34.44 billion current US$ in 2021, 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 United Arab Emirates?
The highest recorded value was 38.41 billion current US$ in 2019.
What is the lowest spending by international visitors while visiting a country recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The lowest recorded value was 632.00 million current US$ in 1995.
How does United Arab Emirates rank for spending by international visitors while visiting a country?
United Arab Emirates ranks 17th out of 203 countries with data for 2021.
Is spending by international visitors while visiting a country rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
Over the last ten years it is up 274.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United Arab Emirates 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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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.