Museums worldwide - statistics & facts
Museums are institutions that acquire, preserve, interpret, and exhibit artifacts of artistic, cultural, scientific, and historical importance. According to an estimate by UNESCO, there are roughly 104 thousand such organizations in the world, with the regions of North America and Western Europe reporting the highest number of museums worldwide. Meanwhile, the United States topped the list of the countries worldwide ranked by the number of museums, accounting for nearly one-third of all institutions.
When focusing on museum attendance in the United Kingdom, one of the countries with the highest aggregated attendance at most visited museums in the world, London played a key role as it is where many of the most visited British museums are based. Many of the UK capital’s most popular establishments are sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). In the 2021/2022 fiscal year, the Tate Gallery Group, the National History Museum, and the Science Museum Group were the DCMS-sponsored museums in England with the highest number of visitors.
The most visited museums in the world
Both before and after the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Louvre in Paris, France, has consistently ranked as the most visited museum worldwide. After recording a sharp drop in attendance during the first two years of the health crisis, the number of visitors to the Louvre bounced back in 2022, totaling approximately 7.7 million, but remaining below pre-pandemic levels. Other globally renowned institutions experienced a similar trend that year. For instance, while the number of visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York rose by 64 percent compared to 2021, it was still around three million short of pre-COVID-19 numbers.When focusing on museum attendance in the United Kingdom, one of the countries with the highest aggregated attendance at most visited museums in the world, London played a key role as it is where many of the most visited British museums are based. Many of the UK capital’s most popular establishments are sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). In the 2021/2022 fiscal year, the Tate Gallery Group, the National History Museum, and the Science Museum Group were the DCMS-sponsored museums in England with the highest number of visitors.
