H51 · Airlines and Air Transport · 3 regions
Air passengers carried
Global: 4.7 billion in 2024. IATA projects 5.2 billion for 2026.
- 4.7 billion Latest · Global · 2024
- Annual Release cadence
- 6 Records · 3 regions · 2023–2026
Verified 15 Sep 2026 · 4 publishers · Next period 2025
Across regions
2 regions on one axis, spaced by time. Below it, selected latest values by region. Forecasts are dashed with hollow markers; the underlying values are one click away under the chart.
Air passengers carried by region
2 of 3 regions drawn, 2023 to 2026; latest values are ranked below
Forecast: dashed line, hollow markers, shaded band Estimates are listed as such in the table below
Forecasts are dashed, with hollow markers.
Air passengers carried by region
Latest value per region, 2024
Estimate
View the underlying data
| Category | Source | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global | ICAO | Estimate | 4.7 billion |
| European Union | Eurostat | Actual | 1.1 billion |
| China | CAAC | Estimate | 0.73 billion |
Every record
6 records · 3 regions · 2023–2026. Each period links to its record: the value, its source evidence and original document.
| Period | Value | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global 3 records | |||
| 2026 | 5.2 billion | IATA · 9 Dec 2025 | forecast |
| 2025 | 4.99 billion | IATA · 2 Jun 2025 | forecast |
| 2024 | 4.7 billion | ICAO · 1 Sep 2025 | estimate |
| European Union 2 records | |||
| 2024 | 1.1 billion | Eurostat · 8 Dec 2025 | |
| 2023 | 973 million | Eurostat · 8 Dec 2025 | |
| China 1 record | |||
| 2024 | 730 million | CAAC · 3 Jan 2025 | estimate |
Download this data
Every file carries its provenance: the CSV has a source column per row, and the chart images print the publisher, the licence and this page's address under the drawing. Source: IATA, ICAO, Eurostat and 1 more. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
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Use and publication rights
- View, cite and link: free
Quote any number, cite this page or a single record, and link to it anywhere.
- Copy, chart and republish: free with attribution
The data is published under CC BY 4.0, commercial use included. Credit StatOrigin and the original publisher (IATA, ICAO, Eurostat and 1 more); the chart files already carry that line.
- The source documents: the publisher's terms
Figures are facts read from the publishers' own documents. The documents themselves, their text and design, stay under each publisher's terms; follow the source links for those.
How this measure is built
- Definition
- Number of passengers carried by air in the region during the calendar year. Sources count either travellers (IATA) or passengers per flight stage (ICAO, Eurostat, CAAC); see each record's source quote.
- Measure
- One slice of Air passengers ( form: count ) . Number of passengers carried by air. Region and period are columns on every record, not slices.
- Limitations
- 2 figures are projections, drawn dashed and labelled in the table. Values are shown as published; StatOrigin does not revise, fill gaps or convert currencies.
- Verification
- Each value, unit, period and place was checked against its source evidence before publication. See the methodology and the corrections process.
Sources · 5 documents
| Document | Publisher | Published | Data points |
|---|---|---|---|
| China's 2024 air passenger traffic hits record high | CAAC | 3 Jan 2025 | 1 |
| Annual Report 2024 - The World of Air Transport in 2024 | ICAO | 1 Sep 2025 | 1 |
| Number of air passengers up 8% in 2024 | Eurostat | 8 Dec 2025 | 2 |
| Airline Profitability Stabilizes with 3.9% Net Margin Expected in 2026 | IATA | 9 Dec 2025 | 1 |
| Airline Profitability to Strengthen Slightly in 2025 Despite Headwinds | IATA | 2 Jun 2025 | 1 |
Other slices of air passengers
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest air passengers carried?
Global: 4.7 billion in 2024. IATA projects 5.2 billion for 2026.
Where does this data come from?
From 5 documents published by IATA, ICAO, Eurostat and 1 more. Every figure on this page links to its record, which preserves the original source evidence.
How often is it updated?
Annual. The newest published period is 2024; the next release should cover 2025. A new figure appears here once the publisher releases it and it passes verification.
Can I use this data?
Yes. StatOrigin publishes it under CC BY 4.0: you may copy, chart and republish it, including commercially, with attribution to StatOrigin and to the original publisher.
Cite this page
Cite the page as a data set, or open any record to cite one figure: each record carries APA, MLA, Chicago and BibTeX forms that credit the original publisher.
StatOrigin. (2026). Air passengers carried [Data set]. Retrieved October 28, 2026, from https://statorigin.org/indicators/global-airline-passenger-numbers
"Air passengers carried." StatOrigin, 2026, https://statorigin.org/indicators/global-airline-passenger-numbers. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.
StatOrigin. "Air passengers carried." Data set, 2026. Accessed October 28, 2026. https://statorigin.org/indicators/global-airline-passenger-numbers.
@misc{statorigin_global_airline_passenger_numbers_2026, title = {Air passengers carried}, author = {{StatOrigin}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://statorigin.org/indicators/global-airline-passenger-numbers}, note = {Data set. Accessed 2026-10-28} }