World & Nations1980–2024
Most-Visited Countries
International tourist arrivals since 1980: France grabs No. 1 around 1990 and never lets go, while the rest of the board churns — Hungary and Canada fade from 1980s glory, China and Turkey storm up in the 2000s, and Japan's late boom sets a record in 2024. In between, COVID-19 vaporizes roughly 70% of all travel in a single year.
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Source: UN World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) Overnight tourist arrivals. Some 2020–2024 figures (notably France and China) are official estimates; Hungary's 1980s–90s counts reflect older methodology. Updated 2026-07-07
The race in numbers
0lead changes
44years covered
15contenders
Francelongest reign — 44 yrs at #1, wire to wire
Final standings · 2024
- 1France102.0M
- 2Spain93.8M
- 3United States72.4M
- 4Turkey60.7M
- 5Italy60.0M