The public at Spanish museums grows again in 2024: record at the Prado and acceleration at the main headquarters of the Reina Sofía

The growth of the tourism sector in Spain (91 million visits) and the growth of the national GDP (3% year-on-year expected) are two of the factors that explain another successful year for Spain’s museums. The Prado, as in 2023, is the big winner in the balance that cultural institutions are presenting on the first working day of the year. The past was the course with the most attendance in its historyjust as has happened with the National Heritage headquarters. The Reina Sofía is growing even faster at its main headquarters (its free sub-venues in Parque del Retiro are still closed and penalizing its overall count). Meanwhile, the Guggenheim in Bilbao almost maintains the figures for 2023, its record year.

Prado Museum.

New historical attendance record for the Prado Museum: 3,457,057 people visited its main headquarters, some 62,000 more than at the end of 2023 and more than any other year. Another 530,836 people have visited other infrastructure and exhibitions of the national museum. The record is the second in a row since already in 2023, the Prado registered 3,337,550 visits and exceeded the figures for the year of its Bicentennial (2019, 3,203,417 people).

Reina Sofia Museum.

The Reina Sofía Museum received 1,537,105 visitors at its main headquarters in Madrid, which represents an increase of 9% compared to 2023 but is still slightly lower than the figures for 2019 and 2018, before the pandemic. The Reina Sofía’s spaces as a whole received 1,960,249 visitors, 570,000 fewer people than the previous year. The drop is explained by the case of the Crystal Palace in Madrid’s Retiro Park, which has been closed since April 2023 for restoration works. For its part, the Velázquez Palace, which also closed its doors for improvement works on September 2, received 319,706 visitors.

Museo Thyssen

In 2024, 951,821 people visited the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions of the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum throughout 2024, a figure lower than that registered in 2023, when it received 1,012,660 visitors (-6%). 57.6% of these people are of national origin (41.1% from Madrid and 16.4% from the rest of Spain) and 42.4% are international. The most viewed exhibition was The intimate realism of Isabel Quintanillawith 159,122 visitors

National Heritage.

The palaces, monasteries, museums and gardens managed by National Heritage attracted 7,169,027 visitors in 2024, a figure that represents a record in their history and an increase of 12.52% compared to 2023. The Royal Palace of Madrid (1,563. 869) has been the most visited destination of the institution, followed by the Gallery of the Royal Collections (648,209) and the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (435,543). The celebration of the tercentenary of the Royal Farm Site has attracted 680,845 people.

Museo Guggenheim Bilbao.

1.3 million visitors came to the Guggenheim in 2024, 2% less than the previous year, according to its own data. In 2023, the museum received 1,324,221 visitors, 35,074 more than in 2022. It was the best number in its history. In 2024 the percentage of foreign audiences grew, up to 67% of the total. France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy were its main markets. The public from the Basque Country represented 11% of the attendance and the rest of Spain, 22%. Catalonia and Madrid stand out, as in previous years.

La Caixa Foundation Centers.

The La Caixa Foundation has reported that 9.1 million visitors have attended the CaixaForum centers and the CosmoCaixa Science Museum in 2024, as well as the traveling exhibitions it has promoted, which represents an overall increase of 12.33% compared to the previous year. The CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona is the center that has received the most visitors, with 1.1 million. The second busiest was CaixaForum Madrid, with more than 947,000 visitors.

State Museums.

The 16 State Museums dependent on the Ministry of Culture received 3,121 million visits, the best figure since 2000 y 10.53% more than in 2023. The state museum with the most attendance has been the National Archaeological Museum, with 627,334 visits, its best record in a decade. The National Museum of Romanticism, which turned 100 years old in 2024, reached its historical record with almost 200,000 visitors. Three other State Museums also obtain their best data since the turn of the century: National Museum of Decorative Arts, National Museum of Ceramics, and Casa de Cervantes Museum.

Picasso Museum of Malaga.

The art gallery has reached the figure of 792,353 visitors during 2024, almost 13,000 more than in 2023. Those responsible have also highlighted “the high participation in the educational and cultural activities with around 25.000 personas who have come to the museum”.