This is a list of the most-visited museums in the world, per annual attendance statistics. Many museums have not reported 2023 figures as of February 2024. These museums show their 2022 attendance.
Total museum attendance in 2023 continued to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, although attendance for most museums remained lower than before 2020. Among the top 100 art museums in 2022, total attendance was 141 million visitors, double the number in 2021 and three times the number for 2020, but still well below the 2019 figure of 230 million visitors. [1]
This list includes art museums, cultural museums, history museums, natural history museums, and science museums with an attendance of over 1,250,000 people in 2022, but does not include archaeological sites, historical monuments, or most palace museums. For example, the Forbidden City, Kremlin, and Palace of Versailles are not included, though the Louvre and Hermitage are included.
Due to differences in reporting across regions, there is some variation in the time periods for which figures are reported. Figures for North America and continental Europe are generally calendar-year figures, while most figures for Britain and the Asia-Pacific are fiscal year figures, from April through March.
The National Museum of China is the national museum of China. It flanks the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The National Museum of China has a total construction area of about 200,000 square meters, a collection of more than 1.4 million items, and 48 exhibition halls. It is the museum with the largest single building area in the world and the museum with the richest collection of Chinese cultural relics. It is a level-1 public welfare institution funded by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The Suzhou Museum is a museum of ancient Chinese art, paintings, calligraphy and handmade crafts in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. It is one of the most visited museums in the world, with more than 2 million visitors in 2018. The Folk Branch of the museum is at the Bei family ancestral temple near Lion Grove Garden. The Western New Pavilion was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei and was completed and opened in 2006.
The Hubei Provincial Museum is one of the best known museums in China, with a large amount of state-level historic and cultural relics. Established in 1953, the museum moved to its present location in 1960 and gained its present name in 1963. Since 1999 a number of new buildings have been added. The museum received 1,992,512 visitors in 2017.
The National Art Museum of China is the national art museum of China and the largest art museum in the nation. Located in Beijing and opened since 1963, it is a level-1 public welfare institution funded by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.
Nanjing Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. is a publicly traded steel maker based in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. The parent company of NISCO is Nanjing Nangang Iron and Steel United Co., Ltd., a joint venture of Hong Kong listed company Fosun International and Chinese state-owned enterprise Nanjing Iron and Steel Group in a 60–40 ratio.
The China Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the People's Liberation Army Air Force and co-sponsored by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The museum is a national first-class museum accredited by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
The Hainan Museum is on Guoxing Avenue, Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Province, China. It was established in 1984, then moved to its permanent location in the Hainan Cultural Park at 68 Guoxing Avenue. There, it was officially reopened on November 15, 2008.
China Art Museum, Shanghai is a municipal art museum of Shanghai City. It is a public welfare institution funded by the Shanghai City Culture and Tourism Bureau.
The Power Station of Art is a municipal contemporary art museum in Huangpu, Shanghai, China. The museum is a public institution funded by the Shanghai City Culture and Tourism Bureau.
The New Taipei City Gold Museum, formerly known as the Gold Ecological Park, is a museum of the gold mining industry in Ruifang District, New Taipei, Taiwan.
Former Residence of Mao Zedong or Mao Zedong's Former Residence was built in the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911). It is located in Shaoshan Village of Shaoshan Township in Shaoshan, Xiangtan, Hunan, China. The building was the birthplace and childhood home of Mao Zedong, the first leader of the People's Republic of China. It has a building area of about 472.92-square-metre (5,090.5 sq ft), embodies buildings such as the old houses, the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, the Bronze Statue of Mao Zedong, the Cultural relics Exhibition Hall, and the Dishui Hole.
The Former residence of Deng Xiaoping was built in the late Qing dynasty. It is located in Paifang Village of Xiexing Town, Guang'an District, Guang'an City, Sichuan, China. It has a building area of about 833.4 m2 (8,971 sq ft), embodies buildings such as the old houses, the statue of Deng Xiaoping, the Dezheng Place (德政坊), the Cultural relics Exhibition Hall, the Hanlin Yard (翰林院子).
The Shanghai Film Museum is a museum in Shanghai, China, located at 595 North Caoxi Road in Xuhui District. The exhibition area is 15,000 square meters. Combining interaction, observation and experience, Shanghai Film Museum features many film cultural activities, historical relic collections, academic research, social education, and exhibitions. The museum contains four main exhibition units and an art cinema. It opened on June 17, 2013.
Jinneng Holding Equipment Manufacturing Group Company Limited, formerly name Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group Co., Ltd. (JAMG) is a Chinese state-owned coal mining conglomerate based in Jincheng, Shanxi. It was owned by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of Shanxi Provincial People's Government. JAMG was ranked 386th in 2016 Fortune Global 500. The company also known as Jin Coal Group in China, which "Jin" was the short name of both Jincheng and Shanxi Province, as both named after the ancient Jin. Jincheng was located in one of the 13 important coal mining sites of China, namely "Jin East", which fellow state-owned enterprise Yangquan Coal Industry Group and Lu'an Mining Industry Group were also located in "Jin East".
CITIC Guoan Group Co., Ltd. is a Chinese company. The company itself was founded by CITIC Group. CITIC Guoan Group is the largest shareholder of CITIC Guoan Information Industry, CITIC Guoan Wine and Global Tech Holdings.
The Changsha Museum is a history museum located at Beichen Delta in Kaifu District, Changsha, Hunan, China. It is adjacent to the Changsha Concert Hall, Changsha Planning Exhibition Hall and Changsha Library. It has a constructed area of 24,000 square metres (260,000 sq ft).
The Jilin Provincial Museum is a first-grade museum in Changchun, Jilin province, China, dedicated to history and art. It is a subordinate unit of the Jilin Province Department of Culture and Tourism.