The museum in figures
The Natural History Museum Basel is part of the presidential department. Below are its key financial, research and visitor numbers for 2025.
Income
87% of our income comes from contributions by the canton of Basel-Stadt. Besides that, we finance the museum's operation through admission fees, sales in the museum shop, revenue from services and through third-party funds from sponsors, benefactors and foundations.
Expenditure
62% of our expenses relate to staff costs. 22% are needed to cover the cost of renting the museum's premises. 16%h of our expenditure is used on running the museum, maintaining the collections, carrying out research and for exhibitions.
Income in detail
| Admissions | 873'305.– | 6,72% |
| Museum shop | 209'609.– | 1,61% |
| Guiding Tours/Events | 99'987.– | 0,77% |
| Room hire | 55'940.– | 0.43% |
| Other revenue | 14'952.– | 0,12% |
| Third-party funding | 271'587– | 2,09% |
| Public contributions provenance research | 194'913.– | 1,50% |
| Public contributions | 11'274'821.– | 86,76% |
| Total | 12'995'114.– | 100% |
Expenses in detail
| Material costs | 2'175'199.– | 16,8% |
| Property rental | 2'812'898.– | 21,6% |
| Staffing costs | 8'007'017.– | 61'6% |
| Total | 12'995'114.– | 100% |
Visitors and users
| Permanent exhibitions | 88'332 | 50,1% |
| Temporary exhibition Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 | 70'462 | 40% |
| Temporary exhibition Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 | 17'507 | 9,9% |
| Total number of visitors and other guests | 176'301 | 100% |
| Other guests* | 5'279 | |
| *Other guests using the museum's location without visiting the exhibitions. |
School groups
| Canton Basel-Stadt | 1'191 | 69,8% |
| Canton Basel-Land | 398 | 23,3% |
| Rest of Switzerland | 48 | 2,8% |
| Abroad | 70 | 4,1% |
| Total | 1'707 | 100% |
Figures for collections and research
| Number of loans of objects | 25'731 | |
| Number of new collection objects | 36'518 | |
| Number of days on which guest scientists visited | 250 | |
| Scientific publications by the museum's own employees | 34 | |
| Scientific publications by external scientists about parts of the collection | 54 | |
| Digitization (Inventory) | 15'579 |
Events
In 2025, the museum team carried out a total of 577 different events.