Turkey was the world’s fourth most visited country in 2024, receiving 60.6 million international tourist arrivals and overtaking Italy, according to World Population Review, an online platform compiling demographic and socioeconomic data from international sources.
The platform’s “Most Visited Countries 2026” rankings, which cover 2024 statistics, put Turkey behind France, Spain and the United States in international arrivals.
France topped the ranking with 102 million visitors, followed by Spain with 93.8 million and the United States with 73.4 million. Italy ranked fifth with 57.7 million arrivals.
Mexico followed with 45 million visitors, while the United Kingdom received 41.8 million, Germany 37.5 million, Japan 36.9 million and Greece 36 million.
World Population Review also listed Turkey’s international tourism receipts at approximately $56.3 billion in 2024, ranking it seventh worldwide.
Separate figures released by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry showed that 52.63 million foreign nationals visited the country in 2024. The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), which uses a broader measure that includes Turkish citizens residing abroad, recorded 62.23 million departing visitors, 9.6 million of whom were expatriate Turkish citizens.
The visitor total represented a 9 percent increase from the previous year and exceeded the government’s target of 60 million visitors.
Official data from TurkStat showed that tourism revenue rose by 8.3 percent in 2024 to an all-time high of $61.1 billion, also surpassing the government’s $60 billion target.
The difference between that figure and the internationally comparable $56.3 billion estimate reflects differences in methodology.
Of that amount, approximately $60.5 billion came from visitors, while the remainder was generated by passengers transiting Turkey. Turkish citizens residing abroad accounted for 17 percent of the country’s tourism income.
Personal spending by visitors reached $43.1 billion, while package tour expenditures totaled $17.4 billion. The average amount spent per night by overnight visitors was $97, falling to $63 among Turkish citizens living abroad.
Nearly 65 percent of visitors traveled to Turkey for leisure or cultural or sporting activities, while Turkish citizens living overseas most commonly came to visit relatives and friends, TurkStat data showed.
World Population Review highlighted Turkey’s mix of historical, cultural and natural attractions, citing İstanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and the ancient city of Ephesus among its best-known destinations.
The platform also pointed to the country’s historic mosques, bazaars, coastal towns, cuisine and heritage sites as factors supporting its appeal to international travelers.
Tourism is a major source of foreign currency for Turkey, which relies heavily on the sector amid high inflation and a prolonged decline in the value of the Turkish lira.