37.2M
ocean-going cruise passengers worldwide in 2025
CLIA reports that 2025 set a new record for global ocean cruise passenger volume.
Source: CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2026
Cruise reference guide
Cruise Industry Statistics
A clear, sourced snapshot of the global passenger and economic figures shaping modern cruise travel.
See the numbersUpdated October 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.
At a glance
How many people cruise each year?
37.2 million people took an ocean-going cruise worldwide in 2025, according to the Cruise Lines International Association’s 2026 industry report. That is the most recent global passenger figure used on this page.
The economic figures below use CLIA’s latest available global impact-study highlights, which report 2024 results. Keeping the reporting years visible makes it easier to use each statistic in the right context.
Key statistics
The numbers behind cruise travel.
Nearly 90%
of cruisers say they intend to sail again
CLIA describes this as the highest return-intent level it has recorded.
Source: CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2026$198B
in global economic impact from cruise tourism in 2024
The latest CLIA impact-study highlights describe spending and activity supported across cruise tourism worldwide.
Source: CLIA, 2024 Global Economic Impact Study highlights, 20261.8M
jobs supported globally by cruise tourism in 2024
The figure includes employment connected to cruise lines, ports, suppliers and visitor spending.
Source: CLIA, 2024 Global Economic Impact Study highlights, 2026$60B
in wages supported globally by cruise tourism in 2024
The figure reflects wages supported across the cruise tourism economy.
Source: CLIA, 2024 Global Economic Impact Study highlights, 2026About 1 in 3
cruise travelers are under age 40
CLIA reports a younger and increasingly varied cruise audience.
Source: CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2026About 1 in 3
cruise trips are multigenerational
The latest report notes continued appeal for families and groups traveling together.
Source: CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2026325
CLIA-member ocean-going ships in 2026
The reported fleet reflects a range of ship sizes and cruise experiences worldwide.
Source: CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2026Around 690K
lower berths across CLIA-member ocean-going ships in 2026
Lower berths describe the standard double-occupancy capacity used in cruise reporting.
Source: CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry Report, 2026A closer look
Passenger demand and local spending move together.
Global passenger volume reached 37.2 million in 2025, while the latest global economic-study highlights on this page report 2024 impact, jobs and wages. 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, 2026
Used for 2025 passenger volume, return intent and traveler profile statistics.
Read the CLIA report2024 Global Economic Impact Study highlights
Used for 2024 global economic impact, jobs and wages.
Read the CLIA studySuggested citation
GP Vacations. “Cruise Industry Statistics: Global Passenger and Economic Data.” Updated October 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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