The Museum Documentation Center’s annual survey of online audience found that in 2025, Croatian museums and galleries recorded a significant increase in views and followers on Facebook—the most popular social network among museums—but also on Instagram and X. There was an increase in views of online collections and museum newsletters, even if the total number of visits to museum websites is down compared to 2024.

In total, 127 of 172 museums from the Register of Public and Private Museums in the Republic of Croatia responded to the survey, with the response rate 2% lower than in the previous year.

Out of 127, 94 museums shared data on website visits. The total number of website views is 4.2 million, which is two million fewer than in 2024, when 96 museums responded.

In 2025, there were 662,443 visits to online collections (37 responses), a 76% increase over 2024. Conversely, visits to virtual/online exhibitions fell by 6% (126,826 visits; 30 responses), but it is important to note that 11 fewer responses were received compared to 2024.

Virtual museum tours were explored by 195,484 users (19 responses), continuing the downward trend observed in the previous year. Online educational programs are down 67% from 2024 (37,266 visits; 14 responses). Only five museums provided data for live online events, half as many as in 2024, but with a 15% increase in participation. Readership of museum newsletters increased by 31% compared to 2024 (24 responses).

Tracking engagement on social media and video platforms is much easier than on websites, which is why almost all participating museums (127) provided data.

Facebook remains the most popular social media platform among Croatian museums, reporting a huge rise from 17,023,891 views in 2024 to 63,289,470 in 2025 (+272% ). Museums’ Instagram accounts with 11,041,619 views saw an even greater increase of 281% compared to 2024. Six museums reported 1,977 followers on X and 425,907 views, 400,000 more than the year before.

Regarding the use of video platforms, 50 museums reported 7,833 subscribers on YouTube and 430,318 views in 2025 (15% less than in 2024), while 16 museums on TikTok recorded a slight increase in views, from 754,724 in 2024 to 784,131 in 2025. Only one museum reported using Vimeo (42 views).

The pandemic has pushed most museums into the online sphere and into content creation for various platforms, whether they are ready for it or not. Creating and distributing content that reaches users and drives meaningful engagement is neither easy nor incidental. Although the pandemic is fortunately behind us, online channels have become an established way of communicating with museum audiences, especially since some Croatian museums are still renovating their buildings and preparing to open to visitors. So, in addition to temporary exhibitions at other museum institutions and in public spaces, they rely on online communication channels to stay in touch with their audiences. To better understand the needs and habits of online visitors, it is necessary to monitor metrics, primarily for institutions that create and publish content for their audiences and those that will become them.

(Tea Rihtar Jurić, published originally in News from the Museum World 279, September 1, 2026)