Statistics: 2.5 mln museum visits made in Estonia in 2023

TALLINN – Residents of Estonia visited museums nearly 2.5 million times during 2023, and a total of 157 museums were open for visitors.

There were 95 expositions, four science centers, and 924 exhibitions, Statistics Estonia said on Friday.

Erik Lest, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that the average number of museum visits per person last year was 1.79, with the highest numbers reported in Saare County, 4.47, and Laane County, 2.98, and the lowest in Valga County, 0.49, and Rapla County, 0.30.

"Science centers and expositions were also popular, attracting 448,000 and 374,000 visits respectively," the analyst noted.

He pointed out that museums offer learning opportunities as well as entertainment.

"In 2023, more than 300,000 people participated in educational programs for children and young people, and nearly 79,000 in programs for adults. Close to 120,000 children and young people took part in educational programs offered by science centers and 38,000 people participated in adult programs," the analyst said.

Museums in Estonia have also created interactive exhibitions and virtual tours that allow visitors to experience history and art in new ways. This, the analyst said, is particularly important for the younger generation growing up in the digital world, as the modern environment makes learning engaging.

"Young people seem to appreciate this approach, as last year children under the age of nine visited museums and science centers on more than 200,000 occasions," he added.

On May 18, Estonia will celebrate the Europe-wide 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 "Freedom in the Night!"

The main representative of public interest for the statistics on museums is the Ministry of Culture, which commissioned the data analysis from Statistics Estonia. The classification of museums is based on the UNESCO classification.