Buy the full study
Summary of our market study
Over 70 million people visit museums in France.
The global museum market, which includes not only museums but also historic sites, zoos and parks, was valued at over $60 billion and is growing at an annual rate of 7%.
North America leads the way with 33% of the market, followed by Asia-Pacific (29%) and Europe.
The museum sector is evolving towards digital offerings, such as virtual tours.
Museum attendance and the central role of art collections
Over 70 million people visit museums. One third of museums are devoted to art collections. Around 34% are dedicated to history.
Art museums account for around 65% of all visitors, history museums for 18%, and museums of society, civilization, nature, science and technology for 17%.
Île-de-France accounts for 57% of total museum attendance. Five museums in the region receive more than 35% of all visits to national museums.
Young people, particularly those aged 15 to 19, are the most frequent visitors to museums, with around 35% of annual visits.
People over 75 visit museums at a rate of 16%.
Women have a slightly higher museum attendance rate than men.
People with higher education qualifications have the highest attendance rate. Executives account for 60% of visitors.
Leading cultural institutions and entities in France
- Culturespaces manages numerous historic monuments and museums in France.
- Musée du Louvre: arguably the most renowned museum in France and worldwide.
- Center Pompidou: Renowned for its high-tech architecture, the Centre Pompidou houses the Musée national d'art moderne and is a magnet for contemporary art lovers.
- Musée d'Orsay: Housed in a former railway station, the Musée d'Orsay is a treasure trove of French art from 1848 to 1914.
- Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: This Parisian museum focuses on exploration, innovation and the dissemination of scientific knowledge.
- MUCEM (Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée): Based in Marseille, the MUCEM's vocation is to present the many facets of Mediterranean civilization.
- Louvre-Lens : A satellite branch of the Louvre, this museum is located in the Pas-de-Calais region of France.
to understand this market
Detailed content of our market study
Inforamtion
- Number of pages : ~ 40 pages
- Format : Digital and PDF versions
- Last update :
Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of the study
Museums are establishments in which collections of objects of historical, technical, scientific or artistic interest are assembled and classified for the purpose of their conservation and presentation to the public.
The global museum market, hard hit by the health crisis, is expected to grow by 7% per year by 2025. North America is the largest market for museums. Although it is in first place, the Louvre is the only French museum in the world's Top 10.
In France, the sector's revenue rose sharply between 2015 and 2019 (+32% over the period), before dropping in 2020 due to the health crisis that led to the closure of museums. The national market is characterized by a strong increase in the number of visitors over the last decade, particularly for art museums and in Parisian museums, which concentrate more than half of the visits. This increase in attendance is partly linked to the growing success of permanent exhibitions. In addition, foreign visitors represent half of all museum attendance in France. This dependence accentuated the difficulties of museums during the health crisis. The sector is also very dependent on funding, especially public investment.
The trend in the sector is towards the multiplication and modernization of the offer. These phenomena have been accelerated by the health crisis.
1.2 Global market
The global museum market was valued at US$ **.** billion in **** and is expected to reach US$ **.** billion by ****, growing at a CAGR of **%. Market revenues are expected to reach US$**.** billion by ****, growing at a CAGR of *%. However, these figures do not only include museums, but also historical sites, zoos and ...
1.3 National market
The activity of museums can be identified under two codes of the NAF nomenclature:
**.**Z: "Management of museums" **.**Z : "Management of historical sites and monuments and similar tourist attractions"
The activity of Management of museums (***) includes :
- management of museums of all kinds:
museums of art, silverware, furniture, costumes, ceramics, ...
1.4 Foreign trade
The first item of trade in cultural goods is art, collectibles and antiques, which includes: paintings, drawings and collages, statues and sculptures, engravings, original prints and lithographs, collectibles and antiques over *** years old.
The following graph shows the exports and imports for this item of cultural goods in ****, the pandemic year, ...
2 Analysis of the demand
2.1 An increase in museum attendance, driven by art collections and the Île-de-France region
Museum attendance in France has increased significantly over the last decade, from **.* million visitors in **** to **.* million visitors in ****, an increase of **.*% over the period. This increase was even greater between **** and ****, when attendance rose by **.*% in five years, before falling by *.*% between **** and **** and then rising again until ****.
Evolution of ...
2.2 Profile of museum visitors
The Ministry of Culture publishes a survey every decade on cultural practices in metropolitan France. In ****, **** people constituted the sample for this study.
The following graph shows the proportion of the population that attended a museum in the past year between the early ****s and the late ****s. The proportion of ...
2.3 Tourism as a major determinant of demand, and the impact of covid-19 on visitation
Half (***) of visitors are locals[***]. This high proportion of international tourists reflects the importance of foreign customers for museums. However, in ****, with the pandemic, international tourists represented only *% of visitors.
The vast majority (***) of tourists to France come from Europe. America and Asia are home to **% and *.*% of international tourists ...
2.4 The case of exhibitions, catalysts of demand
According to the Ministry of Culture,museum attendance is very much linked to temporary exhibitions and other cultural events. Indeed, the cumulative attendance of all temporary exhibitions in museums in France is estimated at more than **.* million entries in ****[***], or **% of total museum attendance. This phenomenon seems to be increasing in ...
3 Market structure
3.1 A concentration of the sector
According to the Ministry of Culture, at the end of ****, there are **** museums that have the designation "Musée de France". This designation can be granted to museums belonging to the State or to public or private non-profit legal entities. Moreover, a museum is considered to be "any permanent collection of ...
3.2 Public and private financing, a major challenge for the structuring of the sector
The financing of museums is a central element for the structuring of the sector. The financing of culture in general can be carried out by different actors that can be public (***)
Public financing :
The following graph shows the evolution of the budget of the Ministry of Culture allocated to Heritage within ...
4 Analysis of the offer
4.1 Typology of prices
The median price of visits to museums, exhibitions and monuments in **** was **€. In detail, **% of visitors paid less than **€ and **% of visitors paid less than **€.[***]
Price is a factor that can cause people to give up visiting museums. In fact, **% of French people gave up at least one visit in **** because ...
4.2 Supply trends
Blockbuster exhibitions
Temporary exhibitions accounted for **% of museum admissions in **** and more and more exhibitions are attracting large numbers of visitors (***). This type of exhibition allows museums to increase their attendance and consequently their revenues. They also allow to improve and especially to extend the reputation of a museum and are ...
4.3 Trend of the offer: museums dedicated to local products
The gastronomy sector in France is not limited to the restaurant industry. For example, French gastronomy, which is part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity[***]
The following table lists some of the French museums dedicated to gastronomy:
The museums related to gastronomy are located in the "cradle" territories of the ...
5 Regulation
5. Regulation
Appellation Musée de France :
Articles L***-* to L***-** of the Heritage Code provide a framework for the appellation "Musée de France".
Established by the law of January *, **** on the museums of France, the appellation "Musée de France" can be granted to museums belonging to the State ...
6 Positioning of the actors
6. Segmentation
- Culturespace
- Musée du Louvre
- MUCEM
- Cité du Vin
- Centre Pompidou
- Tempora Expo
- Réunion des Monuments Nationaux -RMN Grand Palais
- Centre des Monuments Nationaux CMN
- Musée d'Orsay
- Musée de la Marine
- France museums
- Musée Soulages
- Château de Versailles
- Delight Data
- The Packengers
- Arteum Services
- La Tour Eiffel
List of charts presented in this market study
- Evolution of the attendance of the museums of France
- Distribution of museums by type of collection
- Distribution of museum attendance by type of collection
- Répartition et fréquentation des musées par type de collection
- Proportion of people who visited a museum in the last 12 months by age group
All our studies are available online in PDF format
Take a look at an example of our research on another market!
Latest news
château de Versailles: criticism from the Court of Auditors | Versailles criticized by the Court of Auditors - 13/11/2023
- The Château de Versailles is a public institution with over 1,000 employees. The château has some 160 housing units reserved for employees. More than 66,000 works (out of a total of 88,000) are stored in "scattered" reserves, according to the Cour des Comptes.
- The public establishment of the Château de Versailles has received 120 million euros in exceptional aid, in addition to annual subsidies of 43 million euros following the health crisis.
400 years of Versailles: the Sun King's palace: Versailles in 5 figures - 15/09/2023
- The Château de Versailles measures 63,154 square meters, with 2,300 rooms, 1,944 windows and 352 fireplaces.
- The Château de Versailles estate covers 800 hectares.
- The Château de Versailles houses over 70,000 works of art.
- The château welcomed around 6.9 million visitors in 2022.
- The revenue generated by the château's ticket sales in 2022 was 53.5 million euros.
- The château's own resources amounted to 87 million euros in 2022, including 14.5 million euros from patronage, donations and bequests.
- In addition to these revenues, the château received 102 million euros in public funding in 2022.
- Total expenditure at the Château de Versailles for 2022 was 149 million euros, including 61 million for personnel, 43.5 million for operating costs, 37 million for heritage conservation and 6.5 million for enrichment and restoration of the collections.
The Musée d'Orsay reinvents itself. - 18/06/2023
- Current visitors to Orsay: 3.2 million
- Work budget for renovating and improving the museum: 25 million euros.
- Percentage of French visitors before the pandemic: 48%
- Total cost of ten-year plan (including maintenance work, acquisitions of works, digital transformation, redevelopment of the Orangerie): 150 million euros
Diving into the heart of the oceans: Musée de la Marine - 18/06/2023
- 80 million of work financed by the Ministry of the Armed Forces to reopen the naval museum in October
- Work to begin in 2019 after two years to empty the collection of 60,000 items retracing 300 years of history
- Scenic design by London-based Casson Mann, responsible for the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux
- The architects restored the 1937 volumes, and planned a 200-seat auditorium, an 80-seat restaurant and a boutique managed by Arteum
- The aim is for visitors to emerge "proud of the French Navy and its naval history", with France among the world's top 5 maritime powers
Companies quoted in this study
This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :
Choosing this study means :
Access to more than 35 hours of work
Our studies are the result of over 35 hours of research and analysis. Using our studies allows you to devote more time and added value to your projects.
Benefit from 6 years' experience and over 1,500 industry reports already produced
Our expertise enables us to produce comprehensive studies in all sectors, including niche and emerging markets.
Our know-how and methodology enable us to produce reports that offer unique value for money.
Access to several thousand articles and paid-for data
Businesscoot has access to all the paid economic press as well as exclusive databases to carry out its market research (over 30,000 articles and private sources).
To enhance our research, our analysts also use web indicators (semrush, trends, etc.) to identify market trends and company strategies. (Consult our paying sources)
Guaranteed support after your purchase
A team dedicated to after-sales service, to guarantee you a high level of satisfaction. +44 238 097 0676
A digital format designed for our users
Not only do you have access to a PDF, but also to a digital version designed for our customers. This version gives you access to sources, data in Excel format and graphics. The content of the study can therefore be easily retrieved and adapted for your specific needs.
Our offers :
the museum market | France
- What are the figures on the size and growth of the market?
- What is driving the growth of the market and its evolution?
- What is the positioning of companies in the value chain?
- Data from several dozen databases
Pack 5 études (-15%) France
- 5 études au prix de 75,6€HT par étude à choisir parmi nos 800 titres sur le catalogue France pendant 12 mois
- Conservez -15% sur les études supplémentaires achetées
- Choisissez le remboursement des crédits non consommés au terme des 12 mois (durée du pack)
Consultez les conditions du pack et de remboursement des crédits non consommés.
Our customer references
They have consulted our studies
Discover the opinions (+500)
Malcolm Vincent
Astoria Finance
Gregoire de Castelnau
Stags Participations
Timothé Huignard
PWC
Paul-Alexis Kebabtchieff
BCG
Aymeric Granet
Publicis Consultant
interviews & case studies
All interviews and case studies (45)
