The Vatican Museums remain among the most visited places of culture in the world. In 2025 they recorded more than 6.9 million visitors, confirming their second place in the international ranking compiled by The Art Newspaper, a reference point for the analysis of global museum data.
The ranking numbers
The report, built on data provided directly by institutions, returns an updated map of cultural flows. In the lead remains the Louvre in Paris, with more than 9 million admissions. Right behind are the Vatican Museums, led by Barbara Jatta, which consolidate a position now stable over the years.
Behind them is the leap of the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, which reaches 6.5 million and takes third place, followed by the British Museum in London. Also appearing in the top ten are the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery and the Tate in London. Overall, the top 100 most visited museums exceeded 200 million admissions during 2025, a figure that marks consolidation after pandemic-related fluctuations.
The Role of the Vatican Museums
The second place of the Vatican Museums confirms their attractiveness on a global scale. The museum complex represents one of Europe’s leading cultural hubs, with an offer that spans centuries of history, from classical antiquity to the Renaissance. The flow of visitors remains constant throughout the year, supported by a particularly large international component. Rome thus continues to occupy a central position in world cultural tourism routes.
Global dynamics
The report’s analysis shows significant growth in Asia and Latin America. In Shanghai, the new Shanghai Museum East reaches 4.6 million visitors, while in Mexico City the Museo Nacional de Antropología exceeds 5 million. In Europe, large museums maintain high and essentially stable numbers. In Italy, in addition to the Vatican Museums, the Uffizi records 5.3 million admissions, confirming it as one of the most visited.
The overall picture returns an expanding sector, with institutions capable of attracting millions of people each year. The ranking of The Art Newspaper confirms itself as a useful tool to read these phenomena and compare different models of management and development. In this context, the result of the Vatican Museums takes on a precise value: the confirmation of a constant presence at the top of the international museum scene.
