MUSEUMS: Most Visited Museums In The World

The National Museum of China in Beijing was the world's most-visited museum in 2016, says an annual report on global attractions.

The report was released on June 1 by The Themed Entertainment Association, an international nonprofit organization and the economics practice at AECOM, a multinational engineering firm. The report has charted global museum trends for five years by listing top 20 best-attended museums worldwide and in different regions.

The National Museum of China tops the list for the first time, receiving 7.55 million people in 2016. That is an increase of 3.6 percent compared to 2015.

Washington's National Air and Space Museum comes in second. The Louvre, which garnered the top position on the 2015 list, ranks third. The Paris museum suffered a 14.9 percent drop because of a decline in tourism.

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum was the seventh-most visited museum in the world in 2016.

US and British museums each seized three spots in the top 10.

The Taipei Palace Museum is ranked 12 with an 11.8 percent decrease of attendance. The report says it is because of a decline in the number of visitors from the mainland.

National Museum of China, Beijing, China

Attendance in 2016: 7.55 million

National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC, US

Attendance in 2016: 7.5 million

Louvre, Paris, France

Attendance in 2016: 7.4 million

National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, US

Attendance in 2016: 7.1 million

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, US

Attendance in 2016: 6.7 million

British Museum, London, UK

Attendance in 2016: 6.42 million

Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, Shanghai, China

Attendance in 2016: 6.32 million

National Gallery, London, UK

Attendance in 2016: 6.26 million

Vatican Museums, Vatican, Vatican City

Attendance in 2016: 6.07 million

Tate Modern, London, UK

Attendance in 2016: 5.84 million