# Global museum attendance rankings > Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/global-museum-attendance-rankings > Updated: 2026-11-01T08:30:00.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2. The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) released its annual index for 2025, which shows China dominating the world’s most visited museums. China holds 12 of the top 20 positions, led by the Palace Museum in Beijing with 19 million visitors. Other high-ranking Chinese sites include the Summer Palace and the Museum of Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum Site. Europe maintains a presence in the top 20 with five institutions. The Louvre in Paris is the most visited site outside of China, followed by the Palace of Versailles, the Natural History Museum in London, the Vatican Museums, and the British Museum. The report also notes two museums in South Korea and one in the United States among the top entries. Total attendance for the top 20 institutions reached 161.4 million, representing a 5.4 percent increase from the previous year. Experts attribute China’s dominance to a large domestic audience and high accessibility, noting that 91 percent of the country’s 7,188 registered museums offer free admission. ## Timeline ### 2026-11-01: China dominates global museum attendance rankings The TEA Global Experience Index shows China dominating museum attendance, with the Palace Museum in Beijing ranking first globally. The Louvre remains the most visited institution in Europe. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-dominates-global-museum-attendance-rankings ### 2026-10-30: China dominates world's most visited museums list The Themed Entertainment Association's 2025 index shows China dominates the world's most visited museums, with the Palace Museum in Beijing ranking first with 19 million visitors. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/palace-museum-ranks-as-worlds-most-visited-museum-in-2025 --- Cite as: Global museum attendance rankings. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/global-museum-attendance-rankings