Foreign tourists’ visits to Estonian museums up by nearly a fifth

“Last year, the average number of museum visits per person in Estonia was 1.9. The highest museum attendance was seen in Saare and Lääne counties, where there were respectively 4.1 and 3.9 museum visits per person. In Tallinn, the city with the most museums, the average number of visits per person stood at 2.9. Museum attendance was lowest in Rapla county (0.3), with modest figures observed also in Valga (0.7) and Viljandi (0.8) counties,” said Erik Lest, analyst at Statistics Estonia. 

The number of foreign tourists visiting museums is growing

While foreign tourists visited Estonian museums 739,000 times in 2023, last year they did so more than 873,000 times, accounting for one third (33.3%) of all museum visits. The total number of visits by foreign tourists increased by 18.2% year on year.

“This had the greatest impact on museums in Tallinn, where foreign tourists accounted for 45.9% of visitors. Foreign tourists visited the museums in Tallinn over 604,000 times, which accounts for nearly 70% of all museum visits by foreign tourists in Estonia. Compared with 2023, the total number of visits to museums in Tallinn increased by 8.4% and the number of visits by foreign tourists by 14.3%,” the analyst pointed out. 

Total museum income was €92.6 million

As of 2024, there are over 7.1 million museum objects in the collections of Estonian museums, from archaeological finds to contemporary art. Behind this work are nearly 1,500 museum employees, many of whom are involved in preserving collections, conducting research, and creating educational programs.

“The total income of museums amounted to €92.6 million, of which more than half (€51.1 million) came from the state budget and €9.2 million from local authorities. The total costs reached €87.5 million,” noted the analyst.

More than 434,000 visits to science centres

Museums are also increasingly contributing to education and research. “Last year, children under the age of 9 visited museums nearly 169,000 times. Thematic museums, archaeology and history museums, and place museums proved particularly popular among children,” Lest stated.

In addition to traditional museums, science centres, which offer interactive exhibits, experiences, and education, also played an important role. Last year, there were more than 434,000 visits to science centres, of which 63,000, or 14.5%, were by children under the age of 9. Lest reported that children under the age of 9 visited museums and science centres 232,000 times in total. “This shows that an interactive and practical approach fosters young people's interest in science and culture and supports formal education in a new way,” he added.

The number of visits to expositions outside traditional museum spaces was even higher, totalling over 473,000. 

In 2024, there were 160 museums, 102 expositions, 4 science centres, and 907 exhibitions open to the public.

On 17 May, Estonia also celebrates the pan-European Museum Night. Once a year, on a Saturday in May, the museums are open longer than usual and admission is free for everyone. The motto of this year's event is “A Book in the Night!“.

The main representative of public interest for the statistical activity “Museum” is the Ministry of Culture, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia analyses the data. The classification of museums is based on the UNESCO classification. Museum statistics are needed to obtain an overview of Estonian museums and for the government to be able to make decisions on the preservation and development of culture.

More detailed data have been published in the statistical database. 
See also the museums section on our website.

When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.

For further information:

Heidi Kukk
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee 

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