Special Report

27 Most Traveled Countries Before the Pandemic

ugurhan / iStock via Getty Images

In addition to causing almost seven million deaths worldwide (so far), shutting down countless businesses of every kind, and redefining social intercourse in ways that may turn out to be permanent, the coronavirus pandemic — for obvious reasons — brought most international travel to a halt.

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international travel declined by as much as 75% last year, receding to levels of 30 years ago. Today, with increased availability of vaccines and the loosening of COVID-era restrictions, people are starting to take to the airways again, and there is hope for a significant revival in travel later this year. (Look at these 50 ways air travel has changed over the last 100 years.)

Airlines are resuming international flights and hiring hundreds of pilots. Countries are developing vaccine certification programs to help encourage and streamline the admission process. However, according to the UNWTO, “a return to 2019 levels in terms of international arrivals could take 2½ to 4 years.”

Click here to see the most traveled countries before the pandemic

What were those 2019 levels? 24/7 Tempo looked at international departure statistics for some 168 countries worldwide to learn which nation’s citizens traveled beyond its borders the most. All but four of the top 27 are European, with tiny Luxembourg (population 613,894) sending the most people abroad. (These are the world’s busiest air routes right now.)

Note that the rankings are on a per capita basis, so countries with a considerably higher total number of departures — like the U.S. — aren’t included, as their populations are large enough to keep the per capita numbers low.

To identify the most traveled countries before the pandemic, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the index calculated by Nomad Capitalists, a tax and immigration consultancy company, that tracks total international departures adjusted to the population per capita. 2019 GDP per capita in current U.S. dollars comes from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators.  

RossHelen / Getty Images

27. Romania
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.19
> Intl’ departures: 23,066,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $12,920 — #54 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad]

Olena_Znak / Getty Images

26. Netherlands
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.20
> Intl’ departures: 20,871,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $52,331 — #11 out of 168 countries

orpheus26 / Getty Images

25. Belgium
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.24
> Intl’ departures: 14,191,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $46,421 — #16 out of 168 countries

KavalenkavaVolha / Getty Images

24. Latvia
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.25
> Intl’ departures: 2,384,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $17,829 — #42 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad-2]

KavalenkavaVolha / Getty Images

23. Estonia
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.28
> Intl’ departures: 1,702,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $23,723 — #32 out of 168 countries

bluejayphoto / Getty Images

22. Germany
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.31
> Intl’ departures: 108,542,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $46,445 — #15 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad]

nejdetduzen / Getty Images

21. Cyprus
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.32
> Intl’ departures: 1,578,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $27,858 — #30 out of 168 countries

Xantana / Getty Images

20. Poland
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.33
> Intl’ departures: 50,600,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $15,693 — #49 out of 168 countries

Mostafameraji / Wikimedia Commons

19. Oman
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.33
> Intl’ departures: 6,633,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $15,343 — #50 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad-2]

Mustang_79 / Getty Images

18. Austria
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.34
> Intl’ departures: 11,902,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $50,138 — #13 out of 168 countries

IakovKalinin / Getty Images

17. United Kingdom
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.39
> Intl’ departures: 93,086,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $42,330 — #20 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad]

danilovi / Getty Images

16. Malta
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.54
> Intl’ departures: 774,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $29,821 — #28 out of 168 countries

cookelma / Getty Images

15. Norway
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.66
> Intl’ departures: 8,890,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $75,420 — #4 out of 168 countries

Boyloso / Getty Images

14. Iceland
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.69
> Intl’ departures: 611,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $66,945 — #5 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad-2]

vikau / Getty Images

13. Lithuania
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.75
> Intl’ departures: 4,881,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $19,602 — #38 out of 168 countries

Leonid Andronov / Getty Images

12. Bahrain
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.80
> Intl’ departures: 2,950,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $23,504 — #33 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad]

scanrail / Getty Images

11. Sweden
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.85
> Intl’ departures: 19,061,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $51,615 — #12 out of 168 countries

scanrail / Getty Images

10. Denmark
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.86
> Intl’ departures: 10,818,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $60,170 — #9 out of 168 countries

Jui-Chi Chan / Getty Images

9. Singapore
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.88
> Intl’ departures: 10,711,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $65,233 — #7 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad-2]

scanrail / Getty Images

8. Finland
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.89
> Intl’ departures: 10,440,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $48,783 — #14 out of 168 countries

benstevens / Getty Images

7. Ireland
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.89
> Intl’ departures: 9,350,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $78,661 — #3 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad]

JandaliPhoto / Getty Images

6. United Arab Emirates
> Intl’ departures per capita: 1.93
> Intl’ departures: 18,902,600
> 2019 GDP per capita: $43,103 — #19 out of 168 countries

master2 / Getty Images

5. Albania
> Intl’ departures per capita: 2.07
> Intl’ departures: 5,922,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $5,353 — #92 out of 168 countries

AleksandarGeorgiev / Getty Images

4. Switzerland
> Intl’ departures per capita: 2.31
> Intl’ departures: 19,797,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $81,994 — #2 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad-2]

TomasSereda / Getty Images

3. Hungary
> Intl’ departures per capita: 2.54
> Intl’ departures: 24,860,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $16,732 — #46 out of 168 countries

Remedios / Getty Images

2. Slovenia
> Intl’ departures per capita: 2.90
> Intl’ departures: 6,049,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $25,946 — #31 out of 168 countries

[in-text-ad]

tibu / Getty Images

1. Luxembourg
> Intl’ departures per capita: 4.11
> Intl’ departures: 2,548,000
> 2019 GDP per capita: $114,705 — #1 out of 168 countries

The #1 Thing to Do Before You Claim Social Security (Sponsor)

Choosing the right (or wrong) time to claim Social Security can dramatically change your retirement. So, before making one of the biggest decisions of your financial life, it’s a smart idea to get an extra set of eyes on your complete financial situation.

A financial advisor can help you decide the right Social Security option for you and your family. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.

Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you optimize your Social Security outcomes.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.