In 2021-2022, the Natural History Museum was the most visited museum or gallery in the UK...
welcoming 2,381,681 visitors to the Museum at South Kensington and...
87,321 visitors to the Museum at Tring, despite over six weeks of closure.
Visitors arriving at the Museum in London, ready for a fun day out
Our exhibitions
Fantastic Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature, developed in partnership with the BBC and Warner Bros., was seen by more than 135,000 visitors and was shortlisted for Partnership of the Year in the 2022 Museum & Heritage Awards.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 57 was seen by more than 87,000 visitors - and counting.
Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It was shortlisted for Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year in the 2022 Museum & Heritage Awards and has already been seen by more than 600,000 visitors.
Filming the construction of Fantastic Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature exhibition
A marlin skeleton captivates a visitor in the Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It exhibition
Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It
The popular events programme of the critically acclaimed exhibition.
COP26: The Nature Bar
Over three days, we delivered more than 50 pieces of programming featuring 75 guest participants and reaching 11.8 million people online.
Touring exhibitions
Despite the pandemic, the Museum's touring exhibitions had a successful year, with multiple presentations across the world.
Our science, data and discoveries
Museum scientists Dr Andy Purvis and Dr Sandy Knapp at COP26 with Alejandra Arias from Force of Nature and Kathleen Hamilton Programmes and Partnerships Director at the Museum
Dr Lil Stevens uncovering fossils in a Cotswold quarry
Our year in science
In 2021-2022 the Museum described 552 new species, unlocked evolutionary secrets through advanced DNA and imaging techniques, and influenced policy through scientific data and tools such as the Biodiversity Intactness Index.
Digitisation programme
In January 2022 we reached the landmark of having digitised five million specimens from the collection. This means more than six percent of the 80 million specimens are now available on our Data Portal.
Our people
Three colleagues from the Kickstarter Scheme at work in the Museum
Our supporters
Our relationships with Members, Patrons, Corporate Supporters, individuals and funders who share our ambitions and purpose have continued to make a signifcant impact this year, creating ambassadors for the work of the Museum and thousands of advocates for the planet.
Our colleagues
We have been working hard to become a more equal, diverse and inclusive organisation.
Working towards a sustainable future
Lorraine Cornish, Head of Conservation, and Noemi Moran, Loans and Exhibitions Coordinator, attaching the feet of Dippy the dinosaur at Norwich cathedral in July 2021 © Bill Smith
Climate activist Greta Thunberg visits Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It in 2021 and sees the beetle named in her honour