Welcome to our curated and vetted list of cruise industry statistics.
Let’s make a start:
Top Cruise Industry Statistics
- In 2025, an estimated 37.1M passengers globally embarked on cruises, and this number is projected to increase to 41.9M by 2028.
- The global cruises market revenue is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.81% from 2024 to 2029, reaching $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 20.53M cruise passengers from North America in 2024.
- A cruise ship earns an estimated net profit of $291 per passenger.
- The typical age of a cruise tourist is 46.5.
Passenger Volumes and Forecasts
01. In 2026, cruise passenger volume is expected to reach 38.9M.
| 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 |
| 2028* | 41.9 |
02. There were 20.53M cruise guests from North America in 2024.
| Count of North American Cruise Passengers: 2016–2024 | 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 |
| 2024 | 20,530 |
Sources: Statista
Revenue and Market Growth
03. The global cruises market revenue is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.81% from 2024 to 2029, reaching $46.56B by 2026 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 |
04. The US is projected to lead the cruise industry in revenue, reaching $27.6B in 2026.
| Top Countries by Global Cruise Revenue: 2025–2029 (in Million USD) | US | Germany | UK | 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 |
05. Offline sales channels are expected to account for 76% of global cruise industry revenue in 2026, 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 |
06. A cruise ship earns an estimated net profit of $291 per passenger.
07. In 2025, Carnival Corporation & plc’s global revenue reached $26.229B, a 7.15% increase from the previous year.
08. In 2025, Royal Caribbean Cruises reported revenue of $17.436B, a 8.6% increase from the previous year.
Sources: Statista, MacroTrends #1, MacroTrends #2
Cruise Ship Characteristics and Rankings
09. A total of 323 cruise ships are currently in operation globally.
10. There are 51 ocean and 27 river cruise lines in the world.
11. Ocean liners typically have an average passenger capacity of about 3,000 guests, while larger river cruise ships accommodate ~150 guests.
12. The largest cruise ships can accommodate 5,412 passengers in double occupancy, with a maximum capacity of 6,318 if all berths are filled.
13. In 2025, the worldwide cruise industry’s ocean-going vessels had 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 |
14. The average age of ships in the fleet of CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) members is 15.2 years.
15. As of November 2025, 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 (2025) | 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 |
16. In 2025, Icon of the Seas was the world’s longest cruise ship, measuring 1,198 feet (365 meters).
| World’s Lengthiest Cruise Ships (2025) | 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 |
17. In 2025, 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 (2025) | 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 |
18. Princess Cruises was the highest-rated mega-ship operator in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 survey, scoring 88.71.
| Top-Rated Mega-Ship Cruise Lines according to Global Travelers (2025) | In % |
| Princess Cruises | 88.71 |
| MSC Cruises | 87.66 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | 87.48 |
| Line Royal Caribbean International | 85.48 |
| Carnival Cruises | 77.48 |
19. Disney Cruise Line scored 89.24 in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 survey as the highest-rated large-ship cruise operator.
20. Viking led 2025’s midsize-ship cruise line ratings by Condé Nast Traveler with a score of 94.66.
21. Paul Gauguin Cruises led the 2025 Condé Nast Traveler small-ship cruise line ratings with a 95.14 score.
22. Viking led the 2025 Condé Nast Traveler river cruise line ratings with a 97.36 score.
Sources: Cruise Market Watch, Condé Nast Traveler, LM&W, PA, CruiseMapper, Carnival, Marine Insight, The Telegraph, Cruise Fever
Cruise Destinations and Ports
23. In 2024, the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda topped the list of global cruise destinations, attracting approximately 14.98M passengers.
| Leading Cruise Destinations Globally by Passenger Volume (2024) | In Millions |
| Caribbean/Bahamas/Bermuda | 14.98 |
| Mediterranean | 5.77 |
| Non-Med Europe | 3.04 |
| Asia + China | 2.60 |
| Alaska | 1.71 |
| NA West Coast / Mexico / California / Pacific Coast | 1.33 |
| Australia / NZ / Pacific | 1.33 |
| South America / Panama Canal | 1.05 |
| Africa / Middle East | 0.518 |
| Exploration (Antarctic / Arctic / Galapagos / Greenland / Iceland / North Cape) | 0.388 |
24. In 2024, Florida’s PortMiami was the world’s busiest cruise port with 8.223M passenger movements.
| World’s Busiest Cruise Ports by Passenger Traffic (2024) | In Millions |
| PortMiami (United States) | 8.223 |
| Port Canaveral (United States) | 7.600 |
| Nassau (Bahamas) | 5.650 |
| Cozumel (Mexico) | 4.566 |
| Port Everglades (United States) | 4.011 |
| Barcelona (Spain) | 3.656 |
| Civitavecchia (Italy) | 3.459 |
25. In November 2025, the priciest luxury cruise on Tripadvisor was a 141-night world trip aboard the Seven Seas Splendor, costing nearly $107,699 per person.
Sources: Statista, Travel Weekly
Cruise Demographics and Preferences
26. The typical age of a cruise tourist is 46.5, compared to 66 in 2019.
27. The average annual household income of cruise passengers is $114,000.
28. Most cruise travelers (72%) are employed, while 21% are retirees.
29. 69% of cruisers have a college education.
30. 84% of cruise travelers are married.
31. 80% of cruise travelers travel with their spouses.
32. The average cruise travel party size is 3.8.
33. The average cost per person for a cruise is $2,200.
34. The average amount spent on onboard and shore expenses is $565.
35. Most cruisers (42%) begin planning their cruise 12–18 months in advance.
36. The average age of a Norwegian Cruise Line passenger is 52.5 years.
37. 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.
38. Cruise trips typically last about 7.1 days on average.
39. Of those who’ve cruised, 82% plan to cruise again.
40. 31% of travelers cruise with family spanning 3–5 generations, making it a top choice for multi-generational trips.
41. Only 12% of cruise travelers choose to travel solo.
Sources: Carnival Corp., Norwegian Cruise Line, Port Economics, Management and Policy, Royal Caribbean International, The Independent
Environmental and Sustainability Practices
42. Cruise lines are pursuing net-zero emissions by 2050.
43. By 2028, 15% of ships will feature battery storage or fuel cells for hybrid power.
44. Cruise lines generate up to 90% of their water on board to save resources.
45. Air lubrication and hull coatings cut drag, boosting fuel efficiency by nearly 10%.
Sources: Bounce, ePassportPhoto, Solo Female Travel
Keep Exploring
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