These Are the Most Visited Museums in the World

When experiencing a new city, a stop at their signature cultural institution is always a thought-about option. But what museums across the globe are not a “maybe-see” for tourists, but a must?

According to the 2018 Museum Index, these are the museums that meet that criteria.

The first is the Louvre in Paris, which at 10.2 million visits, is the most visited museum in the world. (To put that number in perspective: that number is just about five times more than the population of the city itself.) Three quarters of those were foreign tourists.

What helped put it on top? Their “Delacroix (1798–1863)” exhibit, as well as the publicity from Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “Apes**t” video. (Although some think it is getting too crowded for its own good. The museum’s workers union recently released a statement with the headline Le Louvre Suffoque—the Louvre is suffocating.)

Coming in second was the National Museum in China, followed by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. (“Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” was the most-visited exhibition in the museum’s history.)

The city with the most impressive showing was London, with four museums—the British Museum, the Tate Modern, the National Gallery, and the Natural History Museum—all making the top 10.

The report cites a number of reasons why these museums are the most popular. "Generally, museum attendance continues to be driven by temporary exhibitions, facility improvements or expansions," it states. (The number-nine ranked Natural History Museum, for example, added a new performance theatre and reopened its main gallery, Hintze Hall.) "But there are also some new factors including social media." Just call it the Beyoncé and Jay-Z effect.

Below, the full list in pictures.

The World’s Most Visited Museums

1. Louvre, Paris, France (attendance: 10,200,000)
1. Louvre, Paris, France (attendance: 10,200,000)
Photo: Getty Images
2. National Museum of China, Beijing, China (attendance: 8,610,000)
2. National Museum of China, Beijing, China (attendance: 8,610,000)
Photo: Getty Images
3. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States (attendance: 7,360,000)
3. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States (attendance: 7,360,000)
Photo: Getty Images
4. Vatican Museums, Vatican City (attendance: 6,756,000)
4. Vatican Museums, Vatican City (attendance: 6,756,000)
Photo: Getty Images
5. National Air and Space Museum, Washington, United States (attendance: 6,200,000)
5. National Air and Space Museum, Washington, United States (attendance: 6,200,000)
Photo: Getty Images
6. British Museum, London, United Kingdom (attendance: 5,869,000)
6. British Museum, London, United Kingdom (attendance: 5,869,000)
Photo: Getty Images
7. Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom (attendance: 5,829,000 million)
7. Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom (attendance: 5,829,000 million)
Photo: Getty Images
8. National Gallery, London, United Kingdom (attendance: 5,736,000)
8. National Gallery, London, United Kingdom (attendance: 5,736,000)
Photo: Getty Images
9. Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom (attendance: 5,226,000)
9. Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom (attendance: 5,226,000)
Photo: Getty Images
10. American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States (attendance: 5,000,000)
10. American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States (attendance: 5,000,000)
Photo: Getty Images
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Originally Appeared on Vogue