A woman speaking to another woman in a busy red brick museumMuseum Development England have revealed the results of the Annual Museums Survey for 2024. The 2024 Annual Museum Survey, which surveyed non-National museums in spring this year, provides a comprehensive report on the operating context of museums in England. The findings highlight the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis, and the resulting pressures placed on these institutions.  

The 2024 report emphasises the uphill battle museums face in their post-pandemic recovery due to rising expenditure. Museums deserve recognition for the remarkable work of their volunteers and their creative approaches to diversifying income streams. In less exceptional times, museums might have been able to fully recover from the pandemic, but the increased costs associated with high inflation and contracting funding opportunities have hindered their efforts.  

Museum visitor numbers are currently lagging behind pre-pandemic levels by 8%. Visitor numbers have recovered 80% in the past four years (20/21 – 23/24), but museums still have not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. However, the sector is determined to maintain its journey towards full recovery. 

This year’s report reaffirms the indispensable asset of volunteering to the museum sector, with more than a third of museums operating entirely on volunteer power. The ratio of volunteers to paid staff in England is six to one, highlighting the vital role volunteers play in enabling access to museums and collections. The number of volunteer hours contributed by volunteers is now only 5% short of pre-pandemic level. While smaller museums have seen a strong recovery in volunteer numbers, larger organisations operating multiple sites continue to struggle to regain this important capacity. These institutions are still down 32% on 2019/20 in volunteer numbers and 24% in volunteer hours compared to pre-pandemic levels. 

In addition, rising costs are outpacing the growth in museum income. Despite the encouraging growth in donations (up 27%) and admissions income (up 20%) since 2019/20, museums are still struggling to keep pace with rising costs. The overall increase in income (15%) is offset by a 20% increase in expenditure, highlighting the ongoing financial challenges faced by museums. 

Victoria Harding, Programme Manager at Museum Development South West, said:

“Comparing the data from the past five years has been eye-opening. We’ve learned a lot about how museums have bounced back from the pandemic and how the cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact. Even though museums have adapted and generated income in new ways, for the majority of museums the day-to-day operating costs have accelerated faster than their income. Additionally, one in five museums receiving public subsidy reported that it had decreased compared to the previous year. 

To fully realise the potential of museums, we need to understand the diversity of the sector. Factors like museum location and size make a difference in how quickly visitors and volunteers have returned. When funders and policymakers decide how to help museums, they need to keep these things in mind.” 

622 museums participated in this year’s survey. Due to the consistent high level of engagement by museums it has been possible to benchmark data generated every year, spotlight trends as well as to use the data to advocate for the social and economic contribution of museums to stakeholders and funders. 

Developed and operated by Museum Development South West the Annual Museums Survey has been operating across England for eight years. This is the first year that the Annual Museums Survey will reflect the five new Museum Development England areas: London, South East, South West, Midlands and North in the reporting. All reports can be found on our website.