Top 20 Most Visited Museums Around the World

The Louvre has made its comeback.

After being surpassed in 2016, the Parisian museum regained its position as the world’s most visited museum in 2017.

The iconic Louvre, home to treasures like the “Venus de Milo,” the “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” and Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” attracted 8.1 million visitors in 2017, marking a nearly 10% rise compared to its 2016 numbers.

These numbers were shared in the 12th edition of the Theme Index and Museum Index, a joint report by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and AECOM.

Tourism in Paris bounced back in 2017, recovering from the setbacks caused by bad weather and security concerns in 2016. This revival, along with the popular 'Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting' exhibit, likely contributed to the Louvre’s rise in attendance.

The National Museum of China in Beijing, which surpassed the Louvre to claim the title of the most visited museum in 2016, fell to second place in 2017 with 8 million visitors.

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York shared third place, each attracting 7 million visitors in 2017.

Worldwide Museum Attendance

In 2017, global museum attendance remained relatively unchanged, with a modest 0.2% increase from 2016 among the top 20 museums. Collectively, these museums hosted 108 million visitors that year.

Regional museums saw better results, with a 5% growth driven by strong performance in Asia and the addition of several popular new museums.

Although the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, with 2.4 million visitors in its first full year, didn’t make it into the global top 20, it had a notable impact on museum attendance in North America.

The museum was a key factor behind a 3% increase in attendance at North America’s leading museums in 2017.

China is home to seven of the world’s top 20 museums. With an 11% year-over-year growth, Asian museums experienced the fastest growth globally in 2017.

To discover more about the world’s most visited museums, browse through the gallery above.

Top Museums Around the World in 2017

1. Louvre Museum, Paris, France

2. National Museum of China, Beijing, China

3. National Air and Space Museum, Washington, USA

3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

5. Vatican Museums, Vatican City

6. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai, China

7. National Museum of Natural History, Washington, USA

8. The British Museum, London, UK

9. Tate Modern, London, UK

10. National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA

11. The National Gallery, London, UK

12. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA

13. National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

14. Natural History Museum, London, UK

15. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

16. China Science and Technology Museum, Beijing, China

17. Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid, Spain

18. National Museum of American History, Washington, USA

19. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

20. Centre Pompidou, Paris, France