7.8 million visitors to the Musée du Louvre in 2022

5 January 2023
The Public Establishment of the Musée du Louvre welcomed 7.8 million visitors in 2022. This visitor attendance showed a marked increase (+170% compared to 2021, -19% compared to 2019), confirming both the high drawing power of the Louvre, and the speed with which visitors returned following the lifting of COVID-19-related restrictions. Thus, while the first quarter of 2022 was still impacted by travel limitations concerning certain geographical areas, the figures for summer, autumn and winter 2022 illustrated a strongly positive trend. 

In order to facilitate a comfortable visit and ensure optimal working conditions for museum staff, in June 2022 the Musée du Louvre management decided to cap daily admissions at 30,000. The recommended booking of a time slot has also helped effectively even out visitor numbers throughout the day. Lastly, as of June 2022, the highly anticipated return of a weekly evening opening every Friday has provided new windows for late-day visits to the museum, particularly for the Île-de-France working population. 

Laurence des Cars, President-Director of the Musée du Louvre: ‘The extremely positive figures for 2022 are tremendously encouraging for all our staff. I hope that visitors enjoy spending time at the Musée du Louvre, particularly those discovering the museum for the first time, who represent 60% of them. We are working ever harder to improve visiting conditions and to continue to offer a programme of great quality and a unique array of live performances resonating with what’s on at the museum.’


VISITOR PROFILE

30% French visitors
, by far the biggest nationality group. 
Among them, over 60% from Île-de-France and 40% from other French departments. 

70% foreign visitors, in different proportions compared to pre-pandemic figures: 
  - Visitors from the United States still ranked first (18%).
  - Visitors from European countries rose in number (Germany 8%, Italy 8%, the UK 6%, Spain 5%).
  - Asian tourists were practically absent despite a small increase observed at the end of the year. 

45% of visitors were under 25

Over 40% of visitors benefitted from free admission to the Musée du Louvre in 2022.
Free admission is granted to visitors under 18, visitors under 26 residing in the EEA**, professional card holders (including press card), etc. 

Over 60% of visitors discovered the Musée du Louvre for the first time

225,000 visitors came to the night openings until 9:45 p.m.  


The Musée National Eugène-Delacroix welcomed 82,000 visitors, or an increase of 3% compared to 2019 (prior to the health crisis), thanks to the launch of an online ticketing service, the temporary exhibition ‘Delacroix and Nature’ and new permanent collection presentation on the theme of ‘Delacroix and Colour’.


CULTURAL PROGRAMMING

Exhibitions:
  - ‘Things: A History of Still Life’ (Hall Napoléon): 188,000 visitors from 12 October to   31 December 2022. The exhibition is on view until 23 January 2023. 
  - ‘Pharaoh of the Two Lands: The African Story of the Kings of Napata’ (Hall Napoléon): 315,000 visitors from 28 April to 25 July 2022.
  - ‘Paris–Athens: The Birth of Modern Greece, 1675–1919’ (Hall Napoléon): 137,000 visitors from 30 September 2021 to 7 February 2022.
  - ‘The Splendours of Uzbekistan’s Oases’ (Galerie Richelieu): 87,000 visitors from 23 November to 31 December 2022. The exhibition is on view until 6 March 2023.

Major summer events:
  - 8,000 spectators for ‘Cinéma Paradiso Louvre’ from 15 to 18 July 2022 in the Cour Carrée.
  - 14,000 players in ‘Secret d’Arcadie 2’ in the Tuileries Garden, from 9 July to 28 August 2022.

Live performances:
  - 1,600 spectators for ‘Boléro’, the ballet choreographed by Angelin Preljocaj, on 11 and  12 July 2022 in the Cour Lefuel. 
  - 4,800 spectators for the nine performances of ‘Forêt’, choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Némo Flouret, held amidst the collections of the Denon wing from 23 November to 10 December 2022. 

Tours and workshops:
  - 25,000 participants in the mini-discovery tours, the Department of Islamic Art family weekends and the Cabinet of Prints and Drawings weekends.
  - 752 workshops held in the Studio.
  - Nearly 11,300 school visits, for a total of 280,000 students.

Digital offer:
  - Louvre.fr: 12 million visits (+32% compared to 2021).
  - Social media: 
        More than 10 million subscribers to all platforms combined (Instagram: 4.9 million).
      Louvre Youtube channel: bar of 100,000 subscribers surpassed (auditorium lectures, tales, videos presenting aspects of the museum, etc.).
        Pinterest: 3.7 million impressions in 2022, compared to 950,000 in 2021. 


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* based on data collected from the Musée du Louvre Ticketing Service on individual admission 
** EEA: European Economic Area


 
 

Visitor information

Museum opening hours 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily except Tuesday, and until 9:45 p.m. on Friday.

Time-slot bookings are recommended, including for free-admission visitors, on louvre.fr
Admission is free for EU citizens up to 26 years old.

More information on: louvre.fr
Become a Friend of the Louvre on amisdulouvre.fr
 

 

Photos

Contacts presse

Marion Benaiteau

marion.benaiteau@louvre.fr

+33 (0)6 88 42 52 62