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Top 10 Most Visited Theme Parks in the World

By Dhiraj Sharma · Published October 30, 2026 · Updated November 2, 2026

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Infographic of the most visited theme parks in the world, showing a fairy-tale castle at the end of a sunny park avenue, with callouts for Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios Japan, Shanghai Disneyland, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom and Disneyland Park Paris

The most visited theme parks in the world drew between 10.3 million and 17.8 million visits each in 2025, led by Magic Kingdom in Florida and Disneyland.

This Finepedia guide, written in October 2026, ranks the ten busiest theme parks on Earth using the latest annual attendance study from the Themed Entertainment Association, published on 27 October 2026. Each entry gives the park's 2025 visits, when it opened and what draws the crowds. For more ideas for a fun day out, see the Finepedia guides Top 10 Record-Breaking Roller Coasters of the World and Top 10 Most Visited National Parks in the US.

How We Chose These

The ranking follows the TEA Global Experience Index for 2025, produced with the research firms Entertainment + Culture Advisors and The Park Database. Its figures mix numbers shared by operators with professional estimates, and they count visits rather than individual people, so a guest who returns three times counts three times. Water parks and museums are ranked separately, so they do not appear here. Eight of the ten are Disney parks, and together the world's top 25 theme parks recorded about 245.4 million visits in 2025.

The 10 Most Visited Theme Parks at a Glance

No.	Theme park	Location	Visits in 2025	Opened
1	Magic Kingdom	Florida, US	17.8 million	1971
2	Disneyland	California, US	17.41 million	1955
3	Universal Studios Japan	Osaka, Japan	16.04 million	2001
4	Tokyo Disneyland	Urayasu, Japan	15.2 million	1983
5	Shanghai Disneyland	Shanghai, China	14.99 million	2016
6	Chimelong Ocean Kingdom	Zhuhai, China	12.67 million	2014
7	Tokyo DisneySea	Urayasu, Japan	12.6 million	2001
8	Epcot	Florida, US	12.11 million	1982
9	Disneyland Park	Paris, France	10.8 million	1992
10	Disney's Hollywood Studios	Florida, US	10.31 million	1989

1. Magic Kingdom Is Still the World's Busiest Theme Park

Magic Kingdom opened on 1 October 1971 as the first park of Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.^[1] In 2025 it welcomed about 17.8 million visits, almost the same as the year before, and kept the top spot it has held for many years. Its centrepiece, Cinderella Castle, draws on the 1950 animated film.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 17.8 million
Change from 2024: down 0.2 percent
Opened with: 23 attractions in six themed lands
Resort: Walt Disney World, home to four theme parks

Did You Know?

Walt Disney did not live to see the park, as he died in 1966, and his brother Roy saw the Florida project through. Many of the park's first rides were copies of Disneyland favourites, but the castle was built taller than the one in California.

2. Disneyland Is Where It All Began

Disneyland in Anaheim, California, opened on 17 July 1955.^[2] No Disney theme park came before it, and it is the only one Walt Disney oversaw in person. In 2025 it recorded about 17.41 million visits, a small rise on 2024, finishing just behind Magic Kingdom.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 17.41 million
Change from 2024: up 0.4 percent
Original land: about 160 acres of walnut trees and orange groves
Sister park: Disney California Adventure, added in 2001

Why It Matters

Disneyland set the pattern for the modern theme park, with themed lands arranged around a central hub and a castle as the focal point. By the end of 2021 it had recorded about 757 million visits since opening, a higher total than any rival park has managed.

3. Universal Studios Japan Leads Outside Disney

Universal Studios Japan in Osaka opened on 31 March 2001, the first Universal park outside the United States.^[3] In 2025 it drew about 16.04 million visits, making it the busiest theme park in the world not run by Disney. It is operated by a Japanese company, USJ Co., under licence.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 16.04 million
Area: about 54 hectares
Harry Potter area: opened on 15 July 2014
Super Nintendo World: opened on 18 March 2021

Did You Know?

Super Nintendo World in Osaka was the first themed land based on Nintendo games, with Mario Kart and Yoshi rides and interactive power-up bands. Its success helped Universal build similar areas in Hollywood and at Epic Universe in Orlando.

4. Tokyo Disneyland Was Disney's First Park Abroad

Tokyo Disneyland, in Urayasu just east of central Tokyo, opened on 15 April 1983.^[4] No earlier Disney park had been built outside the United States. It is owned and run by the Oriental Land Company under a licence from Disney, and it recorded about 15.2 million visits in 2025, a small increase on the year before.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 15.2 million
Change from 2024: up 0.6 percent
Castle: Cinderella Castle, close to the Florida version
Biggest expansion: a Beauty and the Beast area opened in September 2020

Why It Matters

Tokyo Disneyland showed that the Disney park model could succeed outside America, and it paved the way for parks in Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Its main street, World Bazaar, is covered by a glass roof to protect visitors from Tokyo's rain and winter cold.

5. Shanghai Disneyland Has the Tallest Disney Castle

Shanghai Disneyland, in the Pudong district, opened on 16 June 2016.^[5] In 2025 it recorded nearly 15 million visits, up 2 percent, the strongest growth in the top five. Its Enchanted Storybook Castle, themed to all the Disney princesses, stands about 60 m tall and is the biggest castle in any Disney park.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 14.99 million
Change from 2024: up 2.0 percent
Castle height: about 60 m
Themed areas: eight, including Treasure Cove and Zootopia

Did You Know?

Treasure Cove was the first land in any Disney park themed entirely to pirates. Its pirate boat ride, based on the Jack Sparrow films, uses huge screens and moving boats to place riders in the middle of an underwater battle.

6. Chimelong Ocean Kingdom Has a Record-Breaking Aquarium

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom stands on Hengqin island in Zhuhai, in southern China, and opened in January 2014.^[6] It mixes thrill rides with sea life shows, and drew about 12.67 million visits in 2025. That made it the busiest theme park on Earth not run by Disney or Universal.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 12.67 million
Opened: 28 January 2014
Guinness World Records: five, including the largest aquarium
Famous residents: whale sharks and manta rays

Why It Matters

Chimelong's main aquarium tank holds about 22.7 million litres of water, and one acrylic viewing window is almost 40 m wide. The park shows how fast China's theme park industry has grown, with Chinese parks now holding several places in the global top 25.

7. Tokyo DisneySea Celebrates the World's Oceans

Tokyo DisneySea opened on 4 September 2001 next to Tokyo Disneyland.^[7] Instead of a castle, its icon is a volcano, Mount Prometheus, and its lands are themed as ports of call around the world's seas. It recorded about 12.6 million visits in 2025, up 1.3 percent, helped by its newest area.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 12.6 million
Cost to build: about 335 billion yen
Ports of call: eight
Newest port: Fantasy Springs, which welcomed its first guests on 6 June 2024

Did You Know?

Fantasy Springs brought areas based on Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan to the park, along with a new hotel. Many fans rate Tokyo DisneySea as one of the most richly detailed theme parks ever built.

8. Epcot Is Home to Spaceship Earth

Epcot opened on 1 October 1982, then called EPCOT Center, as the second park at Walt Disney World.^[8] Walt Disney first imagined it as a real city of the future, but it became a theme park about science, technology and world cultures. In 2025 it recorded about 12.11 million visits, almost level with 2024.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 12.11 million
Area: about 123 hectares, over double Magic Kingdom's size
Landmark: Spaceship Earth, a giant geodesic sphere
World Showcase: pavilions for 11 countries around a lagoon

Why It Matters

Epcot took three years to build and was, back then, the biggest building job anywhere in the world. The World Showcase lets visitors sample the food, buildings and crafts of countries such as Mexico, Japan, Morocco and France in one walk around the lake.

9. Disneyland Park Paris Bounced Back in 2025

Disneyland Park welcomed its first guests on 12 April 1992. It stands at Marne-la-Vallée, east of the French capital. In 2025 it drew about 10.8 million visits, up 5.7 percent, the biggest rise in the global top ten. The report linked the jump to a rebound after the 2024 Paris Olympics had kept some holidaymakers away.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 10.8 million
Change from 2024: up 5.7 percent
Castle: Sleeping Beauty Castle, inspired by the 1959 film
Sister park: Walt Disney Studios Park, 19th in the world in 2025

Did You Know?

Because Europe already has real castles, the designers made the Paris castle more fanciful than other Disney castles, with a dragon in a cave beneath it. Disneyland Paris is the most visited tourist destination in Europe.

10. Disney's Hollywood Studios Brings Films to Life

Disney's Hollywood Studios opened on 1 May 1989 under the name Disney-MGM Studios, the third of the four Walt Disney World parks.^[9] It is themed to Hollywood's golden age and to famous film worlds. In 2025 it recorded about 10.31 million visits, just enough to finish tenth in the world, ahead of Disney California Adventure.

Key Facts

Visits in 2025: about 10.31 million
Area: about 135 acres
Big expansions: Toy Story Land (2018) and a Star Wars land (2019)
Classic ride: a haunted hotel free-fall ride, added in 1994

Why It Matters

The park began life partly as a working film and television studio. As studio work faded, Disney replaced backlot areas with large themed lands, turning it into one of the most popular parks in Florida.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which company has the most visited theme parks?

Disney is far ahead. Its parks drew about 146.9 million visits worldwide in 2025, nearly two and a half times as many as Universal, the next biggest rival. Universal's new Epic Universe in Orlando, which opened on 22 May 2025, recorded about 4 million visits in its first seven months.

Where is the theme park capital of the world?

Orlando in Florida. Its nine leading parks, run by Disney, Universal and SeaWorld, together drew about 79.6 million visits in 2025, more than any other theme park market.

Conclusion

The world's busiest theme parks are mostly Disney parks, but Universal Studios Japan and Chimelong Ocean Kingdom show that strong rivals can draw huge crowds too. Attendance across the top 25 stayed almost flat in 2025, while new lands and parks keep the competition fierce. For more ideas for a fun day out, read the Finepedia guides Top 10 Record-Breaking Roller Coasters of the World and Top 10 Most Visited National Parks in the US.