Tourism contribution to GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Tourism contribution to GDP was 1.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Tourism contribution to GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2008–2020
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, tourism contribution to gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 1.8%. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 51.6% on the previous year and down 47.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tourism contribution to gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 3.9% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2020.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 77th of 100 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Tourism contribution to GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 3.4% | — |
| 2009 | 3.5% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 3.4% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | +9.1% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | -12.5% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -5.4% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | +12.7% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -51.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 3.2% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More economy & growth data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.14 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 39,565 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 8.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.01 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 58,381 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7697 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 44,339 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.02 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is tourism contribution to gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Tourism contribution to gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 1.8% in 2020, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tourism contribution to gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 2015.
- What is the lowest tourism contribution to gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for tourism contribution to gdp?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 77th out of 100 countries with data for 2020.
- Is tourism contribution to gdp rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tourism contribution to GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of a country's GDP that comes directly from tourism, including spending by visitors and the industries that serve them.