"The Natural History Museum has broken the all-time record for footfall at a UK museum or gallery, attracting 7,116,929 visits in 2025.

The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva), which publishes its annual visitor figures table today, said total footfall at its 409 member attractions had risen by 2% in 2025 to 165 million.

In general, it was another variable year for visitor numbers, which remain 7% lower overall than before the pandemic. The rate of growth has slowed since the previous year, when visitor figures rose by 3.4%.

The Natural History Museum overtook the British Museum to claim 2025’s top spot, reporting a 13% increase in footfall. It is the third time the South Kensington institution has topped Alva’s most-visited list since the Covid pandemic, and the museum’s latest figures are now 31% higher than they were pre-pandemic in 2019."

Read the full article in Museums Journal here.

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