EPCOT Climbs While Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom Stumble According to 2023 Attendance Report

Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Management (AECOM) and the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) have published their 2023 Theme Index, an attendance report that covers attractions around the world.

AECOM/TEA 2023 Theme Index Attendance Report

While this report is coming out in 2024, the attendance numbers reflect findings for 2023. In addition, the report returns to its normal ranking process for the 2023 edition; the ranking lists were frozen from 2019-2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on theme park operations worldwide.

Top Theme Parks Worldwide

Attendance report of the top 25 amusement/theme parks worldwide in 2022, including rank, park name, location, attendance, and year-over-year growth percentage. Highlights feature popular destinations such as Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

According to the report, European parks overall performed well in 2023, while American theme parks saw more modest growth. Asian parks experienced “year-over-year rebounds” after being the most affected by pandemic restrictions.

Disney holds 11 of the top 25 spots worldwide for 2023, with Magic Kingdom coming in at #1 once again. Tokyo Disneyland went from the #3 to #4 spot and Tokyo DisneySea fell from the #4 to #7 spot since last year’s report. Shanghai Disneyland moved up to the top 5, reaching spot #5 from #10 in the report for 2022.

EPCOT also dropped from #7 to #8, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios from #9 to #10. Both Disneyland Paris and Disney California Adventure climbed up a few spots in the worldwide rankings though, from #14 to #9 and #13 to #11, respectively.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom dropped from #6 to #16, while Hong Kong Disneyland moved up from #21 to #17. Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris also saw a bump from #23 to #20 in this year’s report.

Top Theme Parks in North America

A table ranking the top U.S. theme parks in 2023 by attendance in thousands, showing the percent change from 2022. Magic Kingdom is ranked first, with Disneyland Park and EPCOT following. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom also make notable appearances on the list.

Disney’s hold on the top five theme parks in North America loosened this year, now only claiming four of the five spots.

Magic Kingdom remains number one following last year’s report, seeing a 3.4% increase in attendance over 2022, with an approximate total of 17,720,000 guests in 2023.

Disneyland Park retains its #2 spot, with an attendance increase of 2.2% for 2023 and approximately 17,250,000 guests.

EPCOT moved up from #4 to #3 in 2023’s report, with a nearly 20% attendance increase and approximately 11,980,00 guests.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios takes the #4 spot and the final spot occupied by Disney in this year’s top five. The park saw a decrease of 5.5% in attendance with an approximate total of 10,300,000 guests in 2023.

Disney California Adventure and Disney’s Animal Kingdom still made it in the top 10, at #6 and 9, respectively. The former moved up two spots from 2022, while the latter dropped six spots.

Top Water Parks in North America

A bar chart lists the top 20 water parks by attendance in thousands for 2023 and 2022, including percentage changes. Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando, FL, ranks first, showcasing another triumph alongside EPCOT and Animal Kingdom.

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park retains its top spot for 2023 among the top water parks in North America, with an approximate attendance of 1,898,000 and a decrease of nearly 1% from 2022.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, however, fell out of the top 20 ranking for 2023; it held the #2 spot in 2022’s report. This is likely due to both water parks operating seasonally, with only one open at a time.

According to the report, water parks around the world remained “generally solid and reliable” in 2023.

Top Theme Parks in Asia

Top 20 theme parks worldwide by attendance in 2023, with Universal Studios Japan in first place and Tokyo Disneyland in second. EPCOT also made the list prominently. The chart shows attendance numbers and year-over-year percentage growth.

Tokyo Disneyland was dethroned as number one this year by Universal Studios Japan, though the park saw nearly a 26% attendance increase for an approximate total of 15,100,000.

Tokyo DisneySea fell from #2 to #5 but saw a similar increase to its sister park at 22.8%.

Japanese theme parks have always been very popular, and there is a considerable number of potential guests in the country given its size. It’s also worth noting that Tokyo Disney Resort has yet to bring back annual passes, but Universal Studios Japan offers them and has few ticket restrictions, leading to higher crowds.

Shanghai Disneyland moved up from #5 to take the #3 spot, with a massive attendance increase of 164.2% from 2022, for an approximate total of 14,000,000. This is likely in part due to the opening of Zootopia in December 2023. Watch Tom’s vlogs from Shanghai Disneyland to see more.

Hong Kong Disneyland moved up from #10 to #7, with another large attendance increase of 88.2%, no doubt thanks to the opening of World of Frozen in late 2023. Read our honest review of the new land.

Top Theme Parks in Europe

A chart showing the top 20 amusement parks worldwide by attendance in 2023 and 2022. Disneyland Park in France tops the list, followed closely by EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. The total attendance and year-over-year growth percentages are also displayed.

Disney has one European resort with two parks and retains the top spot this year with Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris. It reported a 4.7% attendance increase with an approximate total of 10,400,000.

Walt Disney Studios Park (soon to be renamed Disney Adventure World) bumped up from #4 to #3 with a 6.7% increase.

The full report for 2023 is available online, along with TEA’s methodology for gathering the data. Keep in mind that neither Disney Experiences nor Universal Destinations & Experiences make their attendance numbers public or share them with AECOM/TEA, so these findings may not be a reliable estimation of annual attendance.

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