34.6M
ocean-going cruise passengers worldwide in 2024
The 2025 industry report identifies 2024 as a record year for global ocean cruise passenger volume.
Source: CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2025
Cruise reference guide
Cruise Industry Statistics
A clear, sourced snapshot of the global passenger and economic figures shaping modern cruise travel.
See the numbersUpdated September 7, 2026
Global cruise data, kept in one useful place.
These figures bring together the latest annual Cruise Lines International Association reports used on this page. Each statistic names its report year and links directly to the original source.
Key statistics
The numbers behind cruise travel.
31.7M
ocean-going cruise passengers worldwide in 2023
The report says 2023 passenger volume was 7.6% higher than the pre-pandemic 2019 total.
Source: CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2024$168.6B
in global economic output from cruise tourism in 2023
The total captures the broader economic activity supported by cruise tourism worldwide.
Source: CLIA, Global Economic Impact Study, 20241.6M
jobs supported globally by cruise tourism in 2023
The figure includes employment connected to cruise lines, ports, suppliers and visitor spending.
Source: CLIA, Global Economic Impact Study, 2024$56.4B
in wages and salaries supported globally in 2023
The figure reflects income supported across the cruise tourism economy.
Source: CLIA, Global Economic Impact Study, 2024$85.6B
in direct cruise tourism expenditures worldwide in 2023
This includes direct spending by cruise lines, passengers and crew, as reported by the study.
Source: CLIA, Global Economic Impact Study, 2024A closer look
Passenger demand and local spending move together.
Global passenger volume reached 34.6 million in 2024, while the most recent global economic study on this page reports 2023 spending, jobs and income. The years are shown beside each statistic because industry reporting does not all arrive on the same schedule.
For travelers, these figures explain why cruise choices can feel expansive, from a growing range of ships and itineraries to more activity around ports. For travel writers and planners, they offer a practical, dated reference point for the scale of the market.
Sources and notes
Use the original reports when you need the full context.
State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2025
Used for global passenger volume in 2024.
Read the CLIA reportState of the Cruise Industry Report, 2024
Used for the 2023 historical passenger comparison.
Read the CLIA reportGlobal Economic Impact Study, 2024
Used for 2023 global economic output, jobs, wages and direct expenditures.
Read the CLIA studySuggested citation
GP Vacations. “Cruise Industry Statistics: Global Passenger and Economic Data.” Updated September 7, 2026.
https://gpvacations.com/cruise-industry-statisticsGP Vacations shares this page’s original summaries and data compilation under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The linked CLIA reports remain subject to their own terms.
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