When Visitors Drive GDP: The World’s Most Tourism-Dependent Economies
A Voronoi visualization using UN Tourism data maps tourism receipts as a share of GDP across 147 countries. Andorra tops the list as the most tourism-dependent economy, with Aruba and the Maldives close behind, while small island nations dominate the rankings. Even large economies like the UAE rely on tourism for a meaningful slice of output (over 10%), but many countries face risks from shocks and overtourism and are pursuing diversification into higher-value tourism and digital sectors to build resilience.