See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app.
Ranked: The Countries Most Dependent on Tourism (Share of GDP)
See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Key Takeaways
- In Macao, international tourism accounts for 70.8% of GDP, the highest share in the world.
- Eight of the top 10 most tourism-dependent economies are small island nations.
- In contrast, tourism contributes less than 1% of GDP in 47 countries in the dataset.
Tourism is a major global industry, projected to contribute $11.7 trillion to global GDP in 2025, or roughly 10% of total economic output. But its importance varies dramatically by country.
For some nations, tourism is a supplementary source of income. For others, it represents the central pillar of economic activity.
The chart above ranks countries by tourism’s share of GDP, using international tourism receipts from UN Tourism and GDP data from the IMF.
Small Economies Lead the Ranking
Macao tops the list. Visitor spending totaled $32.4 billion, equal to 70.8% of its $45.8 billion economy.
Aruba follows at 69.7%, while the Maldives (68.1%) and Andorra (66.5%) also derive roughly two-thirds of their economic output from tourism. Saint Lucia ranks fifth, with tourism accounting for 53.8% of GDP.
| Rank | Country | Tourism Share of GDP (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macao | 70.8 |
| 2 | Aruba | 69.7 |
| 3 | Maldives | 68.1 |
| 4 | Andorra | 66.5 |
| 5 | Saint Lucia | 53.8 |
| 6 | Grenada | 48.1 |
| 7 | Antigua and Barbuda | 47.8 |
| 8 | Seychelles | 46.6 |
| 9 | Bahamas | 35.0 |
| 10 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 32.9 |
| 11 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 26.9 |
| 12 | Malta | 26.4 |
| 13 | Belize | 25.5 |
| 14 | Cabo Verde | 23.8 |
| 15 | Lebanon | 23.6 |
| 16 | Albania | 21.9 |
| 17 | Fiji | 21.5 |
| 18 | Samoa | 19.8 |
| 19 | Montenegro | 19.8 |
| 20 | Jamaica | 19.7 |
| 21 | Gambia | 19.0 |
| 22 | Tuvalu | 18.6 |
| 23 | Croatia | 17.9 |
| 24 | Jordan | 16.9 |
| 25 | Dominica | 16.8 |
| 26 | Mauritius | 15.4 |
| 27 | Barbados | 14.8 |
| 28 | Georgia | 14.5 |
| 29 | San Marino | 14.3 |
| 30 | Portugal | 11.5 |
| 31 | Tonga | 11.2 |
| 32 | El Salvador | 11.1 |
| 33 | Cyprus | 10.8 |
| 34 | Qatar | 10.7 |
| 35 | Panama | 10.5 |
| 36 | Armenia | 10.5 |
| 37 | Micronesia | 10.3 |
| 38 | Greece | 10.1 |
| 39 | Iceland | 9.7 |
| 40 | Bahrain | 9.0 |
| 41 | Thailand | 8.8 |
| 42 | Dominican Republic | 8.8 |
| 43 | Sao Tome and Principe | 8.7 |
| 44 | Cambodia | 8.5 |
| 45 | Morocco | 8.3 |
| 46 | United Arab Emirates | 8.2 |
| 47 | Luxembourg | 7.2 |
| 48 | Laos | 7.0 |
| 49 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 6.8 |
| 50 | Kyrgyzstan | 6.7 |
| 51 | Tunisia | 6.7 |
| 52 | Comoros | 6.4 |
| 53 | Bhutan | 6.4 |
| 54 | Spain | 6.2 |
| 55 | Palau | 6.1 |
| 56 | Costa Rica | 5.9 |
| 57 | Malaysia | 5.8 |
| 58 | Türkiye | 5.8 |
| 59 | Austria | 5.6 |
| 60 | Hong Kong | 5.5 |
| 61 | Estonia | 5.5 |
| 62 | Moldova | 5.1 |
| 63 | Slovenia | 5.0 |
| 64 | Rwanda | 5.0 |
| 65 | Hungary | 4.9 |
| 66 | Egypt | 4.5 |
| 67 | Vanuatu | 4.4 |
| 68 | Singapore | 4.4 |
| 69 | Tanzania | 4.3 |
| 70 | Serbia | 4.3 |
| 71 | Bulgaria | 4.2 |
| 72 | North Macedonia | 3.8 |
| 73 | Saudi Arabia | 3.7 |
| 74 | New Zealand | 3.7 |
| 75 | Oman | 3.5 |
| 76 | South Sudan | 3.3 |
| 77 | Myanmar | 3.3 |
| 78 | Namibia | 3.3 |
| 79 | Azerbaijan | 3.3 |
| 80 | Ireland | 3.2 |
| 81 | Sudan | 3.2 |
| 82 | Timor-Leste | 3.2 |
| 83 | Ethiopia | 3.1 |
| 84 | Mongolia | 3.1 |
| 85 | Solomon Islands | 3.1 |
| 86 | Latvia | 3.1 |
| 87 | Uzbekistan | 3.1 |
| 88 | Australia | 3.0 |
| 89 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2.9 |
| 90 | Puerto Rico | 2.9 |
| 91 | Zambia | 2.9 |
| 92 | Czechia | 2.9 |
| 93 | Uruguay | 2.8 |
| 94 | Sri Lanka | 2.8 |
| 95 | Switzerland | 2.8 |
| 96 | France | 2.7 |
| 97 | Denmark | 2.7 |
| 98 | Madagascar | 2.6 |
| 99 | Nicaragua | 2.6 |
| 100 | Italy | 2.6 |
| 101 | Uganda | 2.5 |
| 102 | Philippines | 2.4 |
| 103 | Colombia | 2.4 |
| 104 | Guyana | 2.4 |
| 105 | United Kingdom | 2.3 |
| 106 | Lithuania | 2.3 |
| 107 | Canada | 2.2 |
| 108 | Eritrea | 2.2 |
| 109 | Senegal | 2.1 |
| 110 | Togo | 2.0 |
| 111 | Botswana | 2.0 |
| 112 | Finland | 2.0 |
| 113 | Nepal | 2.0 |
| 114 | Honduras | 2.0 |
| 115 | Mexico | 2.0 |
| 116 | Brunei Darussalam | 1.9 |
| 117 | Bolivia | 1.9 |
| 118 | Netherlands | 1.9 |
| 119 | Norway | 1.9 |
| 120 | Poland | 1.8 |
| 121 | Kuwait | 1.8 |
| 122 | Sweden | 1.8 |
| 123 | Paraguay | 1.8 |
| 124 | Iraq | 1.7 |
| 125 | South Africa | 1.7 |
| 126 | Peru | 1.6 |
| 127 | Kenya | 1.6 |
| 128 | Romania | 1.6 |
| 129 | Belgium | 1.6 |
| 130 | Ghana | 1.5 |
| 131 | Iran | 1.5 |
| 132 | Guatemala | 1.5 |
| 133 | Japan | 1.5 |
| 134 | Ecuador | 1.4 |
| 135 | Chile | 1.4 |
| 136 | Slovakia | 1.3 |
| 137 | Benin | 1.3 |
| 138 | Indonesia | 1.3 |
| 139 | Central African Republic | 1.2 |
| 140 | Djibouti | 1.2 |
| 141 | Mozambique | 1.2 |
| 142 | South Korea | 1.2 |
| 143 | Guinea-Bissau | 1.2 |
| 144 | Cameroon | 1.0 |
| 145 | Burkina Faso | 1.0 |
| 146 | Belarus | 1.0 |
| 147 | Kazakhstan | 1.0 |
| 148 | Palestine | 1.0 |
| 149 | India | 0.9 |
| 150 | Suriname | 0.9 |
| 151 | United States | 0.9 |
| 152 | Germany | 0.9 |
| 153 | Chad | 0.9 |
| 154 | Argentina | 0.8 |
| 155 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.8 |
| 156 | Mali | 0.8 |
| 157 | Kiribati | 0.7 |
| 158 | Tajikistan | 0.6 |
| 159 | Ukraine | 0.6 |
| 160 | Nauru | 0.6 |
| 161 | Niger | 0.6 |
| 162 | Haiti | 0.5 |
| 163 | Côte d’Ivoire | 0.5 |
| 164 | Eswatini | 0.5 |
| 165 | Venezuela | 0.5 |
| 166 | Israel | 0.5 |
| 167 | Taiwan | 0.4 |
| 168 | Lesotho | 0.4 |
| 169 | Russia | 0.4 |
| 170 | Afghanistan | 0.4 |
| 171 | Yemen | 0.4 |
| 172 | Zimbabwe | 0.4 |
| 173 | Brazil | 0.3 |
| 174 | DRC | 0.3 |
| 175 | Pakistan | 0.3 |
| 176 | Sierra Leone | 0.3 |
| 177 | Marshall Islands | 0.2 |
| 178 | Malawi | 0.2 |
| 179 | China | 0.2 |
| 180 | Gabon | 0.2 |
| 181 | Libya | 0.2 |
| 182 | Nigeria | 0.1 |
| 183 | Liberia | 0.1 |
| 184 | Bangladesh | 0.1 |
| 185 | Algeria | 0.1 |
| 186 | Congo | 0.1 |
| 187 | Burundi | 0.1 |
| 188 | Mauritania | 0.1 |
| 189 | Vietnam | 0.0 |
| 190 | Angola | 0.0 |
| 191 | Guinea | 0.0 |
| 192 | Papua New Guinea | 0.0 |
The broader pattern is clear: small island nations and resort-driven economies dominate the upper ranks. Limited domestic markets and fewer large-scale industries often make international visitors a primary source of foreign exchange and employment.
Diversified Economies Rank Lower
The U.S. ranks 151 on the list, and international tourism accounts for just 0.86% of its GDP despite receipts totaling $251.6 billion in absolute terms.
The country least reliant on tourism is Papua New Guinea, where tourism is responsible for just 0.01% of its economic output. Guinea and Angola trail closely behind at 0.02% of their respective $24.2 billion and $115.2 billion GDPs.
For 47 countries in the data set, tourism generated below 1% of their GDP.
Tourism Reliance Clusters around Backpacking Hotspots
Clusters with higher reliance are also visible around Central America, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, which are backpacking hotspots. These countries are considered affordable destinations.
While economic benefits are well documented, tourism-heavy economies are at particular risk to global shocks. Aruba’s real GDP, for instance, contracted 24% in 2020 when the pandemic grounded tourism to a halt, pushing business owners and citizens into economic precarity. It has since rebounded.
On the other hand, over-tourism can overwhelm locals and cause tension on the ground.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about tourism, check out this graphic which charts where tourists outnumber locals.