Economy
Our four museums make an important contribution to the creation and promotion of world-class culture in Scotland which makes it a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
The National Museum of Scotland plays a major role in the cultural and heritage appeal of Edinburgh as a tourist destination, attracting large numbers of domestic and overseas visitors to the City.
In 2023, the Museum attracted 2,186,841 visits. This makes it the most visited tourist attraction in Scotland, and the most visited museum in the UK outside London (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, March 2024). The museum is also the 23rd most visited museum in the world (Art Newspaper, April 2024).
In 2018, Biggar Economics was commissioned by National Museums Scotland to undertake an economic impact study of the National Museum of Scotland.
It was estimated that in the financial year 2017/18, the Museum contributed:
• £95.7 million Gross Value Added (GVA) and 4,660 jobs in Edinburgh
• £116.8 million GVA and almost 5,190 jobs throughout Scotland (including Edinburgh).
Our museums
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Community and access
Our community engagement and outreach work encourages greater access to our museums and engages communities across Scotland with the National Collection.
Discover
Explore and learn about about objects from the National Collection through a range of articles, video, and audio content
International work
Beyond Scotland, international collaborations allow us to share knowledge, learn from others and make our treasures available to the widest possible audience.