Die meistbesuchten Museen weltweit – und warum Deutschland hinterherhinkt
The Art Newspaper's 2025 ranking of the world's most-visited museums reveals a global landscape dominated by institutions in Paris, Seoul, London, and New York. The Louvre leads with just over nine million visitors, followed by the Vatican Museums and Seoul's National Museum of Korea, which doubled its attendance to 6.5 million. Notable trends include strong post-pandemic recoveries at New York's MoMA and the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, while London's Tate Modern and National Gallery still lag significantly behind their 2019 numbers.
The article highlights Germany's conspicuous absence from the top tiers of this global ranking, framing it as a significant national concern. This matters because visitor numbers are a key metric for justifying public funding and demonstrating cultural relevance. The analysis suggests structural differences—such as the prevalence of private funding in the U.S. versus public models elsewhere—and potential blind spots in statistics may explain the performance gap, prompting questions about how German museums can compete on the international stage for audience and influence.