The line graph illustrates visitor numbers at three London museums – the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the British Museum – over a 20‑year period from 2000 to 2020.
Overall, the British Museum consistently attracted the highest number of visitors throughout the period, while the Science Museum experienced the most dramatic growth, eventually overtaking the Natural History Museum.
In 2000, the British Museum recorded approximately 8 million visitors, making it the most popular. Its figures fluctuated slightly but remained above 7 million until 2015, after which they rose steadily to a peak of 10 million in 2020. In contrast, the Natural History Museum began with 6 million visitors and saw a gradual decline to around 4 million by 2020.
The Science Museum followed a different trajectory. Starting at just 2 million visitors in 2000, its numbers increased slowly until 2005, then soared, reaching nearly 6 million by 2015. This upward trend continued, and by 2020 it had overtaken the Natural History Museum with roughly 7 million visitors.