Having received nearly 7.6 million visitors last year, the National Museum of China was the most popular museum in the world, according to the 2016 Museum Index released in June by the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM.
Receiving7.4 million visitors, the Louvre fell to No. 3 after four consecutive years as the top draw.
The National Air and Space Museum in Washington also came ahead of the Louvre, ranking second with 7.5 million visitors recorded.
The world's top 20 museums all together received about 108 million visitors, according to the report.
The National Museum of China saw a 3.6 percent jump in attendance. Population size, free admission and the museum's location in a major tourist destination all contributed to the increase, said the report.
Three other Chinese museums are also on the top 20 list, with the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum ranking 7th, the Taipei Palace Museum 12th, and the China Science Technology Museum at 16th.
The following is the full list of the top 20 most visited museums in the world.
Type: Culture and leisure
Location: Paris, France
Attendance: 3.3 million visitors in 2016