Museums in Russia

Main article: Culture of Russia

Museums in Moscow

Main article: Museums in Moscow

2024:52 million people visited Russian museums in a year

The attendance of federal museums in Russia in 2024 reached 52 million people. This was announced on June 16, 2025 by the Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova during a meeting of the final board of the Ministry of Culture, stressing the positive dynamics of citizens' interest in cultural institutions.

According to TASS, we are talking about the attendance of 72 federal museums subordinate to the Ministry of Culture of Russia. Lyubimova noted the restoration and re-exposure of seven memorial Pushkin museums and reserve museums. These objects have undergone a comprehensive renewal of expositions and restoration work.

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Фото: Unsplash

According to Lyubimova, the occupancy of the state catalog of the Museum Fund showed significant growth in 2024. Almost 8.5 million museum items were registered in the catalog during the reporting period.

The total number of items in the State Catalog as of December 31 amounted to more than 54 million exhibits. The digitalization of museum collections continues to actively develop throughout the country.

Lyubimova stressed that since 2000, the network of Russian museums has increased by one and a half times. The expansion of the museum infrastructure was due to the creation of new institutions and the transfer of regional museums to federal jurisdiction.

Among the new federal museums were created the State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve "Fanagoria" and the Museum "Smolensk Fortress." These institutions have replenished the federal museum network with specialized expositions.

The Pskov State United Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve was taken into federal jurisdiction. The transfer of the regional museum to the federal level provided additional funding for development.^[1]

2023: Museum revenue growth by 13% to RUB 29.8 billion

Revenues of Russian museums in 2023 increased by 13% thanks to filming and tourists, reaching 29.8 billion rubles. This is evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Culture, published in June 2024.

As RBC writes with reference to the materials of the department, museums' revenues from paid services, such as ticket sales, paid lectures and rental of premises, in 2023 exceeded the dock-shaped (we are talking about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic) level of 2019, amounting to 22.6 billion rubles. Sponsorship and charitable contributions brought museums almost 2 billion rubles more. In 2022, museums earned 26.4 billion rubles, which is lower than in 2023.

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Фото: Unsplash

Despite a significant increase in revenue from commercial activities, most museum revenues continue to come in the form of various subsidies. In 2023, the total turnover of Russian museums, including budgetary allocations, reached 130 billion rubles, which is 10% more than in 2022, when this figure was 118.6 billion rubles.

According to the report of the Ministry of Culture, the main expenses of museums in 2023 also increased by almost 10%, reaching 126.3 billion rubles. The largest items of expenses were salaries (71.9 billion rubles), overhaul and restoration (10.3 billion rubles), as well as equipment (5.1 billion rubles). The cost of replenishing funds increased by 59%, amounting to 655.8 million rubles, and spending on organizing exhibitions increased by 13%, to 4.2 billion rubles.

The increase in museum attendance was the main driver of the increase in income. According to the Ministry of Culture, the number of visitors in 2023 increased by more than 12 million people, exceeding pre-pandemic indicators. In total, 43 million people visited Russian museums, and the Peterhof Museum-Reserve turned out to be the most popular.

The State Historical Museum (GIM) noted that in 2023 more than 1 million people visited them, of which 3.5% were foreign citizens, mainly from China. According to museum representatives, about 70% of GIM extrabudgetary funds provide income from tickets, lectures and excursions.^[2]

2020: 37.5 museums per million residents

Data for 2020

Notes