Just over 2.8 million visits were made to museums in Iceland in 2019. Visits have increased by 1.2 million since 2010, 74.9%. Total numbers of visits to museums able to provide information about the nationality of visitors were 2.15 million, of whom 38.8% were made by Icelandic nationals but 61.2% by foreign guests.1
Visits to zoos and art museums were more common amongst Icelandic nationals. Just under 15 thousand foreign tourists visited zoos, 6.3%, and 145 thousand visited art museums, or 33.2%. In comparison 216 thousand Icelandic nationals visited zoos (93.7%) and 291 thousand art museums (66.8%).
The opposite was true for nature museums and history museums, where tourists accounted for just under 340 and 640 thousand guests, respectively. Visits by Icelandic nationals were 29 thousand to nature museums and 279 thousand to history museums.
Principal and accredited museums more popular among Icelandic nationals
Museum statistic are now published for the first time with a categorization of principal and accredited museums on the one hand and other museums on the other.2 In 2019 principal and accredited museums had 1.36 million visits while other museums had 1.47 million visits. On average that means that 27,259 guests visited each principal and accredited museum, compared to 22,563 guests to each museum without accreditation.
In 2019, 33 principal and accredited museums were able to provide information about the nationality of their guests and 59 other museums. Visits to those principal and accredited museums were 957 thousand, or 29,000 on average to each museum. Visits to those 59 other museums were 1.2 million or 20,285 on average to each museum. Looking at these visits by nationality there is a considerable difference as Icelandic nationals made, on average, 14,742 visits to principal and accredited museums but only 5,917 visits to other museums, while foreign guests had approximately 14,300 visits to all museums, regardless of their accreditation status.
Number of employees decreased between 2018 and 2019
The number of museum employees increased from 2010-2018 but decreased between 2018 and 2019. At the end of 2019, 547 individuals were employed at museums, and 825 during the summer of 2019. In 2018 those numbers were 566 and 901, respectively. The data does not distinguish between part time and full-time employees, but volunteers are excluded.
From 2019 museum employees can be categorized by gender. Women are in majority, both during summer and at year end and both at principal and accredited museums and other museums. The proportion of men is slightly higher at other museums, however, or 38% during summer and 45% at year end, compared to 32% at summer and 33% at year end for principal and accredited museums.
About the data
Statistics Iceland’s museum statistics concern the operations of museums and related activities, including zoological and botanical gardens, open for the public and able to provide information regarding the number of visits each year. Data collection takes place each fall and museums are then asked to provide information regarding the previous year.
In 2020, the data collection was changed slightly so now Statistics Iceland receives information regarding accredited museums from The Museum Council of Iceland. Information regarding principal museums and other museums (not accredited by the Museum Council of Iceland) is still collected directly from the museums themselves. A list of museums is updated yearly and includes all museums accredited by the Museum Council, principal museums, and other museums which are open to the public in the reference period.
1 A little under 80% of museums were able to provide information on the number of national and foreign guests for 2018. The number of visits reported by those museums accounts for 76% of all visits. 2 There are three principal museums: The National Gallery, The Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of Iceland. Accredited museums were 47 in 2019. To be accredited the museums must operate according to the Museum Act. For more information see the Museum Council of Iceland‘s website.