Dale Berning Sawa, How museum funding in Denmark has become reliant on visitor numbers, The Art Newspaper, 31 March 2026
Danish government reforms have resulted in increased funds for museums, but some question the equity of grants based on footfall.
Danish museums have recovered well from Covid-19. The latest survey by Organisationen Danske Museer (ODM), an association of 170 museums, visitor centres and conservation centres across Denmark, published in February, shows that 2025 museum attendance was similar to 2024’s record levels: there were 9 million visitors to the 72 museums that responded, with one-third of institutions reporting an increase in visitors of 10% or more.
But as visitor numbers are booming, they are also becoming increasingly central to how museums are funded in Denmark. A new state-funding model, introduced by the government in January 2025, places greater emphasis on measurable outputs, including how many people come through the door.