Museums in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts

Despite the diversity in collections and exhibitions, the Tate Modern, British Museum, Natural History Museum, and Victoria & Albert Museum all have something in common - they are all based in the United Kingdom and were all ranked among the most visited museums worldwide in 2021. In fact, when looking at a breakdown of attendance at the most visited museums worldwide, by country, the UK plays host to a quarter of the most visited institutions in the world. Therefore, it may come as no surprise that museums were the cultural product international consumers most associated with the United Kingdom in 2022.

The economic impact of museums in the UK

Aside from the priceless role of preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting cultural and scientific artifacts, museums and galleries are important economic drivers. In 2022, the number of employees in the museum, gallery, and library industry in the UK peaked at 108 thousand, recovering from the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. That year, museums and galleries alone contributed to around 53 thousand jobs, accounting for roughly 7.5 percent of the cultural sector’s employment in the United Kingdom. When focusing on the revenue of libraries, archives, and museums in the UK, monthly figures show that such cultural institutions tend to generate the highest income over the summer period, with August being the most profitable month.

Museums in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic set unprecedented challenges for British museums and galleries. During the first two years of the health crisis, cultural institutions in the UK had to shut down for months. While visits shrunk in 2020/2021 due to the closures, the total number of visitors to government-funded museums in England – including some of the most popular institutions in the country – partially recovered in 2021/2022 but remained way below pre-pandemic figures. Meanwhile, attendance at the National Museum of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery, among the most visited free attractions in Scotland, as well as the number of visits to national museums in Wales, followed a similar trend, still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Ultimately, the decrease in museum visitors led to significant economic losses. In 2021/2022, the income from admissions of government-sponsored museums in England was still 46 percent lower than in 2019/2020. Over the same period, the median economic impact of non-national museums in England declined by nearly 175 thousand British pounds.
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, Mar 16, 2023

Key insights

Number of museum enterprises in the UK
745
Number of museum and gallery employees in the UK
53k
Cultural product international consumers most associate with the UK
Museums
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Leading countries worldwide ranked by estimated number of museums as of March 2021

Museums & Galleries

Leading countries worldwide with the highest number of museums 2021

Most visited museums worldwide from 2019 to 2021 (in millions)

Museums & Galleries

Leading museums by highest attendance worldwide 2019-2021

Number of visitors to DCMS-sponsored museums in England from 2019 to 2022, by museum (in 1,000s)

Museums & Galleries

Number of visitors to government funded museums in England 2019-2022, by museum

Related topics

Recommended

5

Recommended statistics

Overview

6

Overview

Workforce

5

Workforce

Income and funding

7

Income and funding

Museum attendance

8

Museum attendance

Visitor demographics and attitudes

6

Visitor demographics and attitudes

Impact of COVID-19

5

Impact of COVID-19

Digitalization

4

Digitalization

Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Museums in the United States
Museums in the United States
Visitor attractions in the United Kingdom (UK)
Visitor attractions in the United Kingdom (UK)
Museums in Italy
Museums in Italy
Museums worldwide
Museums worldwide
Digitalization of the arts and culture sector worldwide
Digitalization of the arts and culture sector worldwide

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Meredith Alda
Meredith Alda
Client Support Specialist– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
support.japan@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Associate Director - LAC– Contact (Latin America)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu