Chinese museums continued to dominate the rankings of the world's most-visited museums in 2025, while Washington's federal museums suffered steep falls after the US government shutdown, according to the Themed Entertainment Association's Global Experience Index. The research recorded 161.4 million visits across the global top 20, up 5.4 percent on 2024.

Chinese institutions took 12 of the top 20 places, led by Beijing's Palace Museum with 19 million visits, up 11.8 percent. With Generation Z accounting for more than half of museum visits across China, the report points to a growing focus on technology, immersive and AI-led exhibitions, retail and cross-industry partnerships. In major Chinese cities, it says, a museum visit has become a primary reason for travelling to an area rather than an add-on to sightseeing.

North America told a different story, with growth across its 20 most-visited museums totalling just 0.7 percent, against 5 percent in Asia Pacific and 5.5 percent across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The National Gallery of Art in Washington fell 28.9 percent to 2.8 million visits, while the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History dropped 15.4 percent and the National Museum of American History 14.3 percent. The report links the losses to the 43-day federal shutdown, which closed the National Gallery for about 40 days and Smithsonian museums for around 33 days, including during the busy autumn.

Privately funded American museums grew instead. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the only US institution in the global top 20, rose 4.5 percent to 5.98 million after reopening its Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, while MoMA gained 5.4 percent and the Art Institute of Chicago 13.3 percent. Elsewhere, the National Museum of Korea posted the top 20's biggest percentage rise, up 68.3 percent to 6.51 million, helped by wider interest in Korean culture, while the Louvre remained the most-visited museum outside China at 9.05 million and London's National Gallery rose nearly 30 percent to 4.15 million after its rehang and the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing.