History

The Origins of EGMUS

The idea of establishing a European group to explore different approaches to museum statistics, foster mutual learning, and work towards greater comparability emerged during the Berlin Conference in 1995. Subsequent conferences provided a platform to exchange knowledge about museum statistics across Europe and discuss related topics such as performance indicators, changes in museum ownership, and the relationship between physical and virtual museum visits.

Eurostat and the Development of Museum Statistics

In the 1990s, the need for comparable cultural statistics at the EU level became a key topic. Following a Council of Ministers resolution in 1995, Eurostat launched the Leadership Group (LEG) on the Harmonisation of Cultural Statistics in the EUin 1997. This initiative led to the EU Working Group on Cultural Statistics, which focused on cultural participation, funding, and employment. Recognizing the need for a more specialized approach, representatives from Luxembourg and the Netherlands established a dedicated group on museum statistics in 1999.

The EU Working Group for Museum Statistics developed key indicators, including museum participation (visitor numbers), financial structures, and employment. The Abridged List of Key Museum Indicators (ALOKMI) was introduced to standardize data collection across countries, forming the basis for the EGMUS tables published today.

The Formation of EGMUS

Parallel to the Eurostat initiative, the Berlin Group, initiated by the Institut für Museumsforschung, had been working on similar objectives since 1995. Given the overlapping goals and shared expertise, the two groups merged in June 2002, forming the European Group on Museum Statistics (EGMUS).

EGMUS focuses on evolving museum-related topics, from digitization and documentation standards to educational offerings and visitor demographics. A key achievement is the standard questionnaire for collecting museum statistics, designed to enhance comparability across Europe.

EGMUS continues to monitor museum-related statistical data, contributing to broader cultural statistics initiatives, including:

MINERVA Project (2007): Annual report on digitization efforts in the cultural sector. More information
NUMERIC Project (2007): Empirical measures for digitization in cultural heritage. Final report
ENUMERATE Project (2010): Successor to NUMERIC, coordinated by the Collections Trust, UK.
ESSnet-Culture Project: A two-year initiative on harmonizing European cultural statistics. Final report

EGMUS remains committed to enhancing the quality and comparability of museum statistics, working closely with national representatives, Eurostat, and other cultural institutions.