Welcome to our curated and vetted list of 45+ most up-to-date cruise industry statistics for 2025.
Let’s make a start:
Top Cruise Industry Statistics
- In 2025, approximately 37.1M passengers globally will embark on cruises.
- The global cruises market revenue is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.81% from 2024 to 2029, reaching $44.39B by 2025 and $53.49B by 2029.

- A total of 323 cruise ships are currently in operation globally.
- There are 51 ocean and 27 river cruise lines in the world.
- On average, a cruise ship can host around 3,000 passengers.
- There were 18,103 cruise guests from North America in 2023.
- A cruise ship earns an estimated net profit of $291 per passenger.
- The typical age of a cruise tourist is 55, compared to 66 in 2019.
Passenger Volumes and Forecasts
- In 2025, cruise passenger volume is expected to hit 125% of 2019’s levels, with 37.1M passengers setting sail.
Expected Number of Ocean-Going Cruise Passengers: 2019–2027 | In Millions |
---|---|
2019 | 29.7 |
2020 | 5.8 |
2021 | 4.8 |
2022 | 20.4 |
2023 | 31.7 |
2024 | 35.7 |
2025* | 37.1 |
2026* | 38.9 |
2027* | 39.4 |
- There were 18,103 cruise guests from North America in 2023, up from 12,592 in 2022.
Count of North American Cruise Passengers: 2016–2023 | In 1,000s |
---|---|
2016 | 12,403 |
2017 | 13,019 |
2018 | 14,240 |
2019 | 15,408 |
2020 | 3,008 |
2021 | 2,215 |
2022 | 12,592 |
2023 | 18,103 |
Sources: Statista
Revenue and Market Growth
- The global cruises market revenue is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.81% from 2024 to 2029, reaching $44.39B by 2025 and $53.49B by 2029.
Global Cruise Industry Earnings: 2020–2029 | In Billion USD |
---|---|
2020 | 8.08 |
2021 | 3.11 |
2022 | 21.43 |
2023 | 39.19 |
2024 | 42.30 |
2025 | 44.39 |
2026 | 46.56 |
2027 | 48.78 |
2028 | 51.07 |
2029 | 53.49 |
- The US is projected to lead the cruise industry in revenue, reaching $26.11B in 2025.
Top Countries by Global Cruise Revenue: 2025–2029 (in Million USD) | United States | Germany | United Kingdom | China | Australia | Canada |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 26,112.22 | 3,386.71 | 3,196.25 | 1,377 | 1,357.37 | 1,236.38 |
2026 | 27,600.74 | 3,466.68 | 3,267.98 | 1,479.98 | 1,432.49 | 1,258.09 |
2027 | 29,149.49 | 3,536.78 | 3,338.83 | 1,590.98 | 1,510.58 | 1,279.21 |
2028 | 30,734.16 | 3,598.59 | 3,410.13 | 1,704.57 | 1,585.29 | 1,302.51 |
2029 | 32,385.37 | 3,658.12 | 3,485.58 | 1,836.65 | 1,673.82 | 1,327.30 |
- Offline sales channels are expected to account for 76% of global cruise industry revenue in 2027, surpassing online sales, which are projected to constitute 24%.
Sales Channel Shares in Global Cruise Revenue: 2017–2027 (in %) | Offline | Online |
---|---|---|
2017 | 79 | 21 |
2018 | 79 | 21 |
2019 | 78 | 22 |
2020 | 78 | 22 |
2021 | 78 | 22 |
2022 | 78 | 22 |
2023 | 77 | 23 |
2024 | 77 | 23 |
2025 | 77 | 23 |
2026 | 76 | 24 |
2027 | 76 | 24 |
- A cruise ship earns an estimated net profit of $291 per passenger.
- In 2024, Carnival Corporation & plc’s global revenue reached $24.479B, a 22.18% increase from the previous year.
- In 2024, Royal Caribbean Cruises reported revenue of $16.055B, a 21.88% increase from the previous year.
Sources: LoveTheMaldives, Statista, MacroTrends #1, MacroTrends #2
Cruise Ship Characteristics and Rankings
- A total of 323 cruise ships are currently in operation globally.
- There are 51 ocean and 27 river cruise lines in the world.
- Ocean liners typically have an average passenger capacity of about 3,000 guests, while larger river cruise ships accommodate ~150 guests.

- The largest cruise ships can accommodate 5,412 passengers in double occupancy, with a maximum capacity of 6,318 if all berths are filled.
- In 2025, the worldwide cruise industry’s ocean-going vessels have an average passenger capacity of 769,150, with projections indicating a rise to over 789,860 by 2026.
Global Average Capacity for Ocean Cruise Ships: 2018–2026 | Capacity |
---|---|
2018 | 555,570 |
2019 | 589,820 |
2020 | 607,500 |
2021 | 636,270 |
2022 | 663,970 |
2023 | 701,110 |
2024 | 733,690 |
2025 | 769,150 |
2026 | 789,860 |
- The average age of ships in the fleet of CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) members is 14.1 years.
- As of July 2024, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship, with a gross tonnage of 249,000.
World’s Biggest Cruise Ships by Gross Tonnage (2024) | In 1,000s |
---|---|
Icon of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2024) | 248.66 |
Utopia of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2024) | 236.47 |
Wonder of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2022) | 235.60 |
Symphony of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2018) | 228.08 |
Harmony of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2016) | 226.96 |
Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2009) | 226.84 |
Allure of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2010) | 225.28 |
MSC World Europa (MSC Cruises – 2022) | 215.86 |
Costa Smeralda (Costa Cruises – 2019) | 185.10 |
P&O Arvia (P&O Cruises – 2022) | 184.70 |
- In 2024, Icon of the Seas was the world’s longest cruise ship, measuring 1,198 feet (365 meters).
World’s Lengthiest Cruise Ships (2024) | In Feet |
---|---|
Icon of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2024) | 1,196.69 |
Utopia of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2024) | 1,188.06 |
Harmony of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2016) | 1,188.06 |
Wonder of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2022) | 1,187.80 |
Symphony of the Seas (Royal Caribbean – 2018) | 1,184.42 |
- In 2024, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas was the world’s most expensive cruise ship, with a construction cost of $2B.
Most Expensive Global Cruise Ships by Construction Price (2024) | In Billion USD |
---|---|
Icon of the Seas | 2 |
Allure of the Seas | 1.43 |
Symphony of the Seas | 1.35 |
Harmony of the Seas | 1.35 |
MSC World Europa | 1.25 |
Norwegian Epic | 1.20 |
AIDAnova | 1.10 |
MSC Meraviglia | 1 |
MSC Bellissima | 1 |
Norwegian Bliss | 1 |
Celebrity Edge | 1 |
Carnival Mardi Gras | 0.95 |
- Princess Cruises was the highest-rated mega-ship operator in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2024 survey, scoring 92.22.
Top-Rated Mega-Ship Cruise Lines according to Global Travelers (2024) | In % |
---|---|
Princess Cruises | 92.22 |
Royal Caribbean International | 87.21 |
MSC Cruises | 85.88 |
Carnival Cruise Line | 82.46 |
P&O Cruises | 81 |
Norwegian Cruise Line | 80.33 |
- Virgin Voyages scored 92.36 in Condé Nast Traveler’s June 2024 survey as the highest-rated large-ship cruise operator.
- Viking led June 2024’s midsize-ship cruise line ratings by Condé Nast Traveler with a score of 93.96.
- Paul Gauguin Cruises led the June 2024 Condé Nast Traveler small-ship cruise line ratings with a 95.63 score.
- Viking led the June 2024 Condé Nast Traveler river cruise line ratings with a 97.81 score.
Sources: Cruise Market Watch, Condé Nast Traveler, LM&W, PA, CruiseMapper, Carnival, CLIA, Marine Insight, The Telegraph, Cruise Fever
Cruise Destinations and Ports
- In 2023, the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda topped the list of global cruise destinations, attracting approximately 12.8M passengers.
Leading Cruise Destinations Globally by Passenger Volume (2023) | In 1,000s |
---|---|
Caribbean/Bahamas/Bermuda | 12,857 |
Central & Western Mediterranean | 3,912 |
Asia & China | 2,561 |
Northern Europe | 2,225 |
Alaska | 1,650 |
Eastern Mediterranean | 1,543 |
North American West Coast/Mexico/California/Pacific Coast | 1,446 |
Australia/New Zealand/Pacific | 1,277 |
Panama Canal/South America | 1,081 |
Africa/Middle East | 539 |
Other | 506 |
Canary Islands | 500 |
Transatlantic & World Cruise | 415 |
Exploration Destination | 319 |
Canada/New England | 304 |
Baltics | 257 |
Hawaii | 233 |
- In 2023, Florida’s PortMiami was the world’s busiest cruise port with 7.3M passenger movements, surpassing Port Canaveral’s 6.9M.
World’s Busiest Cruise Ports by Passenger Traffic (2023) | In 1,000s |
---|---|
PortMiami (United States) | 7,299 |
Port Canaveral (United States) | 6,925 |
Nassau (Bahamas) | 4,491 |
Cozumel (Mexico) | 4,077 |
Barcelona (Spain) | 3,569 |
Civitavecchia (Italy) | 3,316 |
Port Everglades (United States) | 3,007 |
Southampton (United Kingdom) | 2,648 |
Marseille | 2,600 |
Genoa, Savona (Italy) | 2,560 |
Palma de Mallorca (Spain) | 1,895 |
- In October 2024, the priciest luxury cruise on Tripadvisor was a 154-night world trip aboard the Seven Seas Mariner, costing nearly $97,000 per person.
Most Expensive Luxury Cruises Listed on Tripadvisor (2024) | In USD |
---|---|
Seven Seas Mariner – 154-night cruise around the world | 96,970 |
Seven Seas Mariner – 116-night cruise around the world | 95,799 |
Seven Seas Mariner – 150-night cruise around the world | 94,990 |
Seven Seas Splendor – 141-night cruise around the world | 91,188 |
Seabourn Sojourn – 129-night cruise around the world | 84,674 |
Scenic Ecplise – 23-night cruise in Europe | 83,530 |
Seven Seas Splendor – 127-night cruise around the world | 83,268 |
Scenic Ecplise – 31-night cruise in Europe | 76,940 |
Viking Polaris – 86-night cruise around the world | 75,995 |
Viking Octantis – 86-night cruise around the world | 74,995 |
Sources: CLIA, Statista, Travel Weekly
Cruise Demographics and Preferences
- The typical age of a cruise tourist is 55 compared to 66 in 2019.
- The average annual household income of cruise passengers is $114,000.

- Most cruise travelers (72%) are employed, while 21% are retirees.
- 69% of cruisers have a college education.
- 84% of cruise travelers are married.
- 80% of cruise travelers travel with their spouses.
- The average cruise travel party size is 3.8.
- The average cost per person for a cruise is $2,200.
- The average amount spent on onboard and shore expenses is $565.
- Most cruisers begin planning their cruise 4–6 months in advance.
- The average age of a Norwegian Cruise Line passenger is 52.5 years.
- Royal Caribbean cruise passengers have a median age in the low 40s, skewing younger on 3–4 night cruises and older on cruises of 10+ nights.
- Cruise trips typically last about 7.3 days on average.

- Of those who’ve cruised, 82% plan to cruise again.
- 28% of travelers cruise with family spanning 3–5 generations, making it a top choice for multi-generational trips.
- Between 8% and 13% of cruise travelers choose to travel solo.
Sources: Carnival Corp., CLIA #1, CLIA #2, Norwegian Cruise Line, Port Economics, Management and Policy, Royal Caribbean International, Royal Caribbean Press Center, The Independent
Environmental and Sustainability Practices
- Cruise lines are pursuing net-zero emissions by 2050.
- By 2028, 15% of ships will feature battery storage or fuel cells for hybrid power.
- Cruise lines generate up to 90% of their water on board to save resources.

- Air lubrication and hull coatings cut drag, boosting fuel efficiency by nearly 10%.
Sources: CLIA
Stacking It All Up
That concludes our deep dive into cruise industry statistics.
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