General
Top 10 Countries driving foreign tourist arrivals in India 2024‑25: India has established itself as a global player in the tourism industry, ranking eighth among the largest tourism economies in the world, as per the WTTC Economic Impact Research (EIR).
When it comes to Foreign Tourist Arrivals or FTAs in the country, the United States leads with over 18 lakh arrivals, accounting for 18.13 per cent of the total arrivals in 2024-25, according to the latest India Tourism Data Compendium 2025 by the Ministry of Tourism.
The country’s rich cultural heritage and varied natural landscapes draw millions of international visitors each year.
Malaysia, notably, has risen to the sixth position, with France and Singapore climbing the rankings as well.
Nepal, Japan, and the Russian Federation featured in the top 15 countries, contributing as much as 77.07 per cent of the total FTAs in 2024. While the remaining 22.93 per cent of FTAs came from other countries.
FTAs in the country have increased over time, increasing from 12.8 lakh in 1981 to 1.09 crore in 2019, according to the tourism data compendium.
However, FTAs witnessed a significant drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with FTAs declining by 74.93 per cent to 27.4 lakh.
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It, nonetheless, showed a gradual recovery in the following years, rising sharply to 64.4 lakh in 2022 — a 323.68 per cent increase — and 99.5 lakh foreign tourists in 2024.
The number of tourists in 2024 alone translates to an average of more than 27,000 foreigners arriving each day. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)
General Top 10 countries contributing to foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India for 2024-25:
Top 10 Country Rankings by FTAs
1
United States
Share: 18.13%
2023 Arrivals: 1.69M
Rank Change: ⬆️ From 2nd
2023 Arrivals: 2.12M
Rank Change: ⬇️ From 1st
3
United Kingdom
Share: 10.28%
2023 Arrivals: 0.92M
Rank Change: — Same
2023 Arrivals: 0.46M
Rank Change: — Same
2023 Arrivals: 0.39M
Rank Change: — Same
2023 Arrivals: 0.26M
Rank Change: ⬆️ From 7th
2023 Arrivals: 0.28M
Rank Change: ⬇️ From 6th
2023 Arrivals: 0.22M
Rank Change: — Same
2023 Arrivals: 0.19M
Rank Change: ⬆️ From 10th
2023 Status: Not in Top 10
Rank Change: ⬆️ NEW
India Foreign Tourism Overview 2024
Source: India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, Ministry of Tourism. FTA = Foreign Tourist Arrivals. India ranks 8th among largest tourism economies globally (WTTC Economic Impact Research).
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Source: India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, Ministry of Tourism.
Cherry Gupta is an Assistant Manager – Content at The Indian Express. She leads the Top 10 section, curating list-based features on key national and international developments, and manages daily news content. She also produces SEO-driven articles and collaborates with the Lifestyle team to conduct interviews with notable artists and write workplace culture features. … Read More
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