The least visited countries in the world are mostly tiny Pacific island nations, led by Tuvalu with about 3,600 international visitors in 2019. A little further up the list are places you can reach on a small group trip. The Comoros, Guinea-Bissau and East Timor each had fewer than 75,000 visitors that year.
How are the least visited countries in the world measured?
Most lists use the number of international tourist arrivals each country reports to UN Tourism, the United Nations tourism agency. The World Bank publishes the same figures for each country (World Bank tourism data).
We use 2019 figures in this guide. It was the last full year before the pandemic, and the most recent year with arrivals figures for 179 countries. The World Bank series stops in 2020, a year shaped by travel bans.
Pacific islands: Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands
The very least visited countries are island nations in the Pacific Ocean, many of them made up of low coral atolls. In 2019 Tuvalu had about 3,600 visitors, making it the least visited country in the world with figures.
The Marshall Islands had about 6,100 visitors and Kiribati about 12,000. The Federated States of Micronesia had around 18,000 and the Solomon Islands around 28,900. Even Tonga, a better-known Pacific destination, had only 94,000.
We do not run tours to these islands, so the rest of this guide covers places nearly as quiet that we know well.
Why do tourist arrival lists differ?
Lists of the least visited countries disagree because they use different years, and because some countries do not report figures at all. Turkmenistan, for example, has no arrivals figure for 2019.
The table below shows the latest arrivals figures per year for the seven places in this guide.
| Country | International arrivals | Year |
|---|---|---|
| São Tomé and Príncipe | 33,400 | 2018 |
| Comoros | 45,099 | 2019 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 52,400 | 2019 |
| East Timor | 74,800 | 2019 |
| Moldova | 174,000 | 2019 |
| Bangladesh | 323,000 | 2019 |
| Turkmenistan | Not reported |
Which of the least visited countries can you visit?
We run small group tours to all seven of the places below. Where the figures put a country among the least visited in the world, we say so. Where they do not, we call it rarely visited.
Comoros
The Comoros had 45,099 visitors in 2019, the seventh lowest of the 179 countries with figures. That is nearly ten times fewer than the Seychelles, which had 428,000.
The country is a group of volcanic islands in the Indian Ocean, in the northern Mozambique Channel. Grande Comore is shaped by Mount Karthala, one of the world's largest active volcanoes. Anjouan is green and mountainous, with hillsides planted with ylang-ylang for the perfume trade, and green turtles nest on the beaches of Mohéli. See our Comoros Islands page, or read more in our guide to exploring the Comoros Islands.
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe had about 33,400 visitors in 2018, the latest year with a figure. Cabo Verde, another former Portuguese island nation off the coast of Africa, had 758,000 the following year.
The two volcanic islands sit on the equator off central Africa. Old cocoa plantations called roças are slowly coming back to life in the rainforest. A boat trip from São Tomé takes you to Ilhéu das Rolas, where a marker shows the line of the equator. Our São Tomé and Príncipe page has the details.
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau had 52,400 visitors in 2019, putting it eighth from the bottom. Its neighbour The Gambia had 620,000.
Our tours focus on the Bijagós Archipelago, a chain of low-lying islands off the coast. It is one of the very few places where hippos live in salt water, and Orango National Park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Our Guinea-Bissau page explains how we travel there.
All three of these countries are a long way from the usual African holiday routes, which is a big part of their appeal.
Fancy a trip? Browse our full list of destinations and see where else few travellers go.
East Timor
East Timor, also called Timor-Leste, had 74,800 visitors in 2019, the tenth lowest of any country with figures. It is one of Asia's youngest nations.
Walkers climb Mount Ramelau, the country's highest peak, to watch the sun rise over the whole island. Atauro Island has coral reefs for snorkelling, and the Ili Kere Kere caves near Tutuala hold rock art thought to be around 13,000 years old. Our East Timor page covers the route.
Moldova
Moldova had 174,000 visitors in 2019. Of the European countries with figures, only Liechtenstein had fewer, which makes Moldova one of the least visited countries in Europe.
Wine is one of its highlights. At Cricova, an electric train takes you through tunnels cut into the ground and stocked with millions of bottles. Orheiul Vechi is a 13th-century monastery carved into a limestone cliff above the Raut River. Visit our Moldova page, or read what other travellers made of it in discovering Moldova.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh had 323,000 visitors in 2019, about the same as Bhutan, which had 316,000. That keeps it off the least visited list, so we call it rarely visited.
The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, is home to Bengal tigers and saltwater crocodiles. Old Dhaka has the Star Mosque and Ahsan Manzil, and the ruins at Paharpur are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our Bangladesh page has more, along with our guide welcome to Bangladesh.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan does not publish arrivals figures, so it cannot be ranked. It is rarely visited all the same, and visitors cannot arrange a tourist visa on their own.
The Darvaza gas crater, known as the Gates of Hell, has been burning in the Karakum Desert for decades. Ancient Merv was one of the oldest cities on the Silk Road and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The capital, Ashgabat, is built in white marble. See our Turkmenistan page and our tales of Turkmenistan.
How does a small group make travel to these countries easier?
Visas and paperwork
The paperwork is the first hurdle. Since 1 October 2026, tourists to Turkmenistan cannot apply for a visa themselves, and a tour agency has to act as sponsor (FCDO entry requirements). When you travel with us, we handle that for you.
Getting around
Getting around is the second hurdle. In the Comoros, our group flies between Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli on domestic flights, so you get proper time on each island. On the São Tomé tour, you fly to Príncipe for two days on the quieter island.
Group size and guides
Our groups have no more than 12 travellers, with local guides throughout, and there are no compulsory single supplements. Whichever country you choose, check the FCDO travel advice before you book, as it can change.
Conclusion
The least visited countries in the world are mostly small Pacific islands. Several places nearly as quiet are easy to reach with the right help. The Comoros, Guinea-Bissau and East Timor each had fewer than 75,000 visitors in 2019, and São Tomé and Príncipe had fewer still in 2018. Undiscovered Destinations has run small group tours and adventure holidays to places like these since 2004.
Each of the seven has a small group tour with dates you can check today.
Fancy a trip? Find your next one on our small group tours page.
