Museums in France - statistics & facts

World-famous museums, galleries, and monuments like the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, or the Centre Pompidou play a fundamental role in attracting millions of visitors to France, the most visited country by inbound travelers worldwide. In 2023, the number of museums defined as “Musée de France”, which includes national and non-public institutions that are approved by the French government, exceeded 1,200, with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Île-de-France, and Occitania being the French regions with the most museums. While Île-de-France, the region surrounding Paris, ranked second based on the number of institutions, the French capital was by far the city with the highest number of museum objects in France, ahead of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Marseille, and Strasbourg.

How many people visit museums and monuments in France?

In 2022, the number of visitors to French national monuments totaled 10 million, catching up with the figure reported in 2019, the year before the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Meanwhile, attendance at national museums in France, namely those institutions under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, grew sharply compared to 2021 but remained below pre-pandemic levels, at 28.5 million. That said, while the total number of visitors did not fully recover from the impact of the health crisis, attendance of young visitors at national museums rebounded in 2022, reaching a five-year peak. In France, visitor data for young people refers to all visitors aged under 25 who went to a museum either on a school trip or outside of school, such as with their parents. In this respect, when looking at the distribution of museum visitors in France by companion in 2022, families accounted for the second-biggest group, just behind couples.

How many museums are there in Paris?

In 2022, there were more than 140 museums in Paris, with the 16th arrondissement recording the highest number of such institutions, including sites like the Louis-Vuitton Foundation, among the most visited attractions in Paris, and the Marmottan Monet Museum. It is, however, in the 1st arrondissement that travelers will find not only the most visited cultural institution in the country but in the whole world: the Louvre Museum, which welcomed nearly eight million visitors in 2022. That year, another popular Parisian gallery, the Musée d'Orsay, also ranked among the most visited museums worldwide, ahead of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and behind the Tate Modern in London.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Attendance at national museums in France
28.5m
Share of free admissions at national museums in France
41%
Attendance of young visitors at national museums in France
7.6m
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