Route 66

Most Visited Countries

France, Thailand, Spain and the United States are all popular destinations, but which country is the worlds most visited?

Holiday Hare has trawled through the numbers to provide you a complete ranking of every country in the world, and as of 2018*, these are the most visited countries in the world. But first we want to have a countdown of the top ten most visited countries.

10. United Kingdom — 36,316,000 Visitors

One of the smaller countries on this list, but the United Kingdom is a cultural and historical powerhouse. Consisting of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Island the United Kingdom has almost everything for the perfect holiday. It scores highly for safety and access, whilst offering one of the great world cities — London alongside attractions like Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace and the stunning hills of Scotland.

9. Thailand — 38,178,000 Visitors

Thailand has everything needed for a perfect tropical getaway; white sandy beaches, constant sunshine and some of the best diving in the world. Visitors also enjoy the relatively low cost, the busy nightlife and amazing local Thai cuisine.

8. Germany — 38,881,000 Visitors

Situated in the heart of Europe, Germany enjoys excellent transport links with the world. Visitors are drawn to its countless beautiful castles, world-famous beer and cities like Berlin and Hamburg. Germany also enjoys some huge forests and reserves too, with Saxon Switzerland National Park and the Jasmund National Park being especially popular.

7. Mexico — 43,313,000 Visitors

Mexico has a rich history, world-class diving and gorgeous beaches — and being on the doorstep of the United States doesn't do any harm either! Whether its for enjoying it's vibrant party scene or exploring Mayan temples; Mexico has something for everyone.

6. Turkey — 45,768,000 Visitors

Turkey has a vibrant young population, and with its unique combination of European and Arabic influences it contains some of the finest historical sites in the world. Istanbul, Bodrum, the hot-air balloon filled Cappadocia and the ancient city of Antalya all draw crowds from across the world.

5. Italy — 61,567,200 Visitors

Famous for fashion, food and romance, Italy is a dream vacation for many. From the epic Colosseum in Rome, the vineyards of the south or the canals of Venice — Italy is sure to take your breath away, just as it did for its almost 62 million visitors in 2018.

4. China — 62,900,000 Visitors

Everything about China is big; whether its China's long history, the Great Wall of China, mountains of Zhangjiajie or bustling cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Tourism is growing rapidly, and the crowds come from across the world. If current trends continue, China might well top this list in future years.

3. United States — 79,745,920 Visitors

Hollywood, the Empire State Building, the White House, the Grand Canyon, Vegas, Florida... We could go on for almost forever about all the reasons to visit the United States; but we are sure you know plenty yourself. Despite strict Visa controls, the United States is the third most visited country in the world, and in a country so vast there is something for everyone.

2. Spain — 82,773,200 Visitors

Especially popular with British, French and German tourists, Spain offers sunshine, affordability and great food to its many visitors. Historic cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Madrid are always popular, as are the many beaches, restaurants and castles.

1. France — 89,322,200 Visitors

France is the worlds most visited country, and Paris one of the worlds most visited cities. It's famous for food, wine and romance and offers variety of experiences to the traveller; from the romantic visa of the Eiffel Tower, the sleepy countryside towns, through to the luxury resorts of Cannes, France continues to be popular. Our tip? Go there with a big appetite and dine well at its many patisseries and boulangeries (bakeries) and enjoy a relaxed yet stylish vibe sure to never be forgotten.

Full Country Visitor Ranking

Our full list of countries is below, all data is provided by the World Tourism Organisation.

Most Visited Countries 2018
RankNameVisitors
#1France89,322,000
#2Spain82,773,000
#3United States79,745,920
#4China62,900,000
#5Italy61,567,200
#6Turkey45,768,000
#7Mexico41,313,000
#8Germany38,881,000
#9Thailand38,178,000
#10United Kingdom36,316,000
#11Japan31,192,000
#12Austria30,816,000
#13Greece30,123,000
#14Malaysia25,832,000
#15Russia24,551,000
#16United Arab Emirates21,286,000
#17Canada21,134,000
#18Poland19,622,000
#19Netherlands18,780,000
#20Macau18,493,000
#21Hungary17,552,000
#22India17,423,000
#23Croatia16,645,000
#24Portugal16,186,000
#25Indonesia15,810,000
#26Vietnam15,498,000
#27South Korea15,347,000
#28Saudi Arabia15,334,000
#29Singapore14,673,000
#30Ukraine14,104,000
#31Denmark12,749,000
#32Morocco12,289,000
#33Bahrain12,045,000
#34Romania11,720,000
#35Belarus11,501,600
#36Egypt11,196,000
#37Ireland10,926,000
#38Czech Republic10,611,000
#39South Africa10,472,000
#40Switzerland10,362,000
#41Bulgaria9,273,000
#42Australia9,246,000
#43Belgium9,119,000
#44Kazakhstan8,789,000
#45Kuwait8,508,000
#46Tunisia8,299,000
#47Sweden7,440,000
#48Hong Kong7,413,000
#49Iran7,295,000
#50Philippines7,168,000
#51Argentina6,942,000
#52Brazil6,621,000
#53Dominican Republic6,569,000
#54Cambodia6,201,000
#55Chile5,723,000
#56Norway5,688,000
#57Uzbekistan5,346,000
#58Albania5,340,000
#59Georgia4,757,000
#60Cuba4,684,000
#61Slovenia4,425,000
#62Peru4,419,000
#63Jordan4,150,000
#64Israel4,121,000
#65Cyprus3,939,000
#66Colombia3,904,000
#67Laos3,770,000
#68New Zealand3,686,000
#69Myanmar3,551,000
#70Uruguay3,469,000
#71Estonia3,234,000
#72Finland3,224,000
#73Puerto Rico3,068,000
#74Andorra3,042,000
#75Costa Rica3,017,000
#76Lithuania2,825,000
#77Mozambique2,743,000
#78Algeria2,657,000
#79Azerbaijan2,633,000
#80Malta2,599,000
#81Zimbabwe2,580,000
#82Ecuador2,535,000
#83Jamaica2,473,000
#84Iceland2,343,800
#85Sri Lanka2,334,000
#86Oman2,301,000
#87Slovakia2,256,000
#88Montenegro2,077,000
#89Ivory Coast1,965,000
#90Lebanon1,964,000
#91Latvia1,946,000
#92Qatar1,819,300
#93Panama1,785,000
#94Guatemala1,781,000
#95Serbia1,711,000
#96El Salvador1,677,300
#97Armenia1,652,000
#98Bahamas1,633,000
#99Guam1,549,000
#100Maldives1,484,000
#101Mauritius1,399,000
#102Tanzania1,378,000
#103Nicaragua1,256,000
#104Paraguay1,181,000
#105Lesotho1,173,000
#106Nepal1,173,000
#107Aruba1,082,000
#108Cameroon1,081,000
#109Zambia1,072,000
#110Bosnia and Herzegovina1,053,000
#111Tajikistan1,035,000
#112Luxembourg1,018,000
#113Malawi871,000
#114Fiji870,000
#115Ethiopia849,000
#116Sudan836,000
#117Eswatini782,000
#118Cape Verde710,000
#119North Macedonia707,000
#120Barbados680,000
#121Palestine606,000
#122Togo573,000
#123The Gambia552,000
#124Mongolia529,000
#125Northern Mariana Islands517,000
#126Belize489,000
#127Cayman Islands463,000
#128Haiti447,000
#129Turks and Caicos Islands441,000
#130Curaçao432,000
#131Kyrgyzstan423,000
#132Saint Lucia395,000
#133United States Virgin Islands381,000
#134Trinidad and Tobago375,000
#135Seychelles362,000
#136Monaco347,000
#137Benin295,000
#138Madagascar291,000
#139Guyana287,000
#140Bermuda282,000
#141Brunei278,000
#142Bhutan274,000
#143Antigua and Barbuda269,000
#144Angola218,000
#145French Polynesia216,300
#146British Virgin Islands192,000
#147Grenada185,000
#148Sint Maarten178,000
#149Samoa164,000
#150Moldova160,000
#151Niger157,000
#152Republic of the Congo156,000
#153Burkina Faso144,000
#154Papua New Guinea140,000
#155St Kitts and Nevis125,000
#156New Caledonia120,000
#157Vanuatu116,000
#158Palau106,000
#159Liechtenstein85,300
#160San Marino84,000
#161Saint Vincent and the Grenadines80,000
#162Timor-Leste75,000
#163Dominica63,000
#164Sierra Leone57,000
#165Tonga54,000
#166Comoros35,900
#167São Tomé and Príncipe33,400
#168Solomon Islands27,900
#169American Samoa20,200
#170Micronesia19,200
#171Mali14,000
#172Kiribati7,100
#173Marshall Islands6,800
#174Tuvalu2,700
#175Nauru200

We hope you enjoyed our roundup of the worlds most visited countries interesting, if you did, you might find the most visited cities article useful too!

Notes

For countries marked with an * we had to use 2017 data, as 2018 data was not available.