Natural History Museum Welcomed Record-Breaking 6.3 Million Visitors in 2024
By Jill Dando News
The Natural History Museum has announced an 11% increase in visitors from 2023, making it the second most visited UK attraction last year, according to The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).
- August was the Museum’s busiest ever month with 766,081 visitors - boosted by the Museum’s transformed gardens opening in July
- Visitor numbers smashed previous records for eight of the 12 months (January, March, May, August, September, October, November, December)
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) released its members visitor figures for the year 2024, revealing that whilst the typical attraction in London saw a 3% increase in visitors, the Museum achieved an 11% increase - and for the first time in history, welcomed well over six million visitors.
Museum Director Dr Doug Gurr said: “We had a phenomenal year, thanks to our fantastic free-to-visit offer which, from July, included our reimagined and fully accessible gardens that provide a spectacular outdoor space, bustling with urban wildlife and a chance to snap a selfie with Fern our bronze diplodocus. We are indebted to our dedicated staff who provide the warmest of welcomes and conjure up inspiring exhibitions and events to share the wonder of the natural world and help create advocates for the planet.”
Arts Minister, Sir Chris Bryant said: "It is fantastic that the Natural History Museum welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors last year, showcasing how valued our cultural institutions are. "
"The Museum shares remarkable exhibitions and activities for individuals and families to enjoy, whilst creating an environment where people can learn. I encourage everyone to visit one of the fascinating and free-to-enter galleries or the new Urban Nature project which has transformed the area around the site into a wonderful educational garden."
"Brilliant. Hurrah. Well done to everyone at the Natural History Museum."
As well as being a world-famous visitor attraction, the Museum is a leading research centre with over 400 scientists working to solve some of the planet’s biggest challenges, from sourcing the minerals needed for the green economy to UK nature recovery and producing the largest bank of biodiversity change data which informs global assessments and decision-making.
This research is at the heart of the Museum’s critically acclaimed exhibitions, events and activities.
As well as welcoming millions of visitors through the doors, the Museum’s global touring exhibitions reached over 1.9 million visitors and it recorded over 17 million visits to its website, 10.3 million video views and engaged an audience of 4.2 million followers on social media.
Whether planning a visit, browsing the online shop, taking a virtual tour, tuning into Museum podcasts or getting stuck into an interview with our scientists, digital visitors can enjoy the natural world through the Museum whenever convenient.
Visit Highlights for 2025
Exhibitions and activities
Tickets are now on sale for the Museum’s new blockbuster exhibition Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth? which opens on Friday 16 May. A once-in-a-lifetime experience; nowhere else in Europe can visitors hold the Moon, wrap their hands around Mars and touch a meteorite as old as the solar system.
The Museum’s free-to-visit brand new permanent gallery, Fixing Our Broken Planet, opens Thursday 3 April – with an associated programme of events and activities throughout 2025 aimed at creating advocates for the planet Fixing Our Broken Planet: Generation Hope, the Museum’s free youth climate programme, returns 29 April – 3 May 2025
Tickets are available for the Museum’s mixed reality experience that imagines a possible future 100 years from now, Visions of Nature – booking recommended as busy periods sell out quickly!
Visitors can book a free ticket to the Museum in advance, to secure fast-track entry. Tickets are currently available to book in advance for the next six months.
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