Disneyland and Disney World Are Most Visited Theme Parks, Universal Orlando Drops

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) just published its annual Theme Index of estimated attendance for the theme park/attractions industries.

Disney has topped this 2023 report with some impressive statistics that we will share with you! There was also an interesting shift that happened with Universal that we will break down below as well.

2023 was a significant year for the global attractions industry as the COVID operating restrictions that had been put in place had essentially all been lifted. This report is the first time that TEA has adjusted its rankings since 2019 because of the pandemic.

Keep reading for a look at how Disney and Universal ranked on TEA's 2023 Theme Index Report!

Disney Highlights of TEA's 2023 Theme Index Report

READ MORE – Disney Bans Guests From Theme Parks. No Exceptions Were Made For These Celebrities That Broke the Rules!

This report comes just after this year's D23 where some big projects and expansions were announced for Disney World and major new details were shared for rides and expansions coming to Disneyland.

In TEA's 2023 Theme Index Report, Disney Experiences is listed as the top theme park operator worldwide.

Magic Kingdom still maintains its ranking as the #1 Most Visited Theme Park Worldwide and in North America as it has for the last 18 years. Its 2023 attendance was 17,720,000 visitors. Disneyland Park in California takes the #2 spot for the Most Visited Theme Park Worldwide and in North America with an attendance of 17,250,000.

See the list of the top 20 Amusement/Theme Parks for North America in the TEA report below:

READ MORE – Sadly Stolen Strollers Do Happen at Disney—Here’s How to Avoid It Happening to You

There are 8 Disney Parks out of the Top 10 Most Visited Theme Parks Worldwide and Disney takes 4 spots out of 5 in the Top 5 Most Visited Theme Parks Worldwide and in North America. Another notable highlight was that Shanghai Disneyland rose from #10 to #5 on the list of the Most Visited Theme Parks Worldwide.

Universal Orlando Parks Drop in Attendance

Interestingly, Universal had previously been contending more competitively with Disney in terms of attendance over the last couple of years with some notable shifts in this report. In the 2022 report, while Magic Kingdom still reigned supreme as the most attended, Universal attendance in Florida was competitive with the other Disney World parks with an attendance of 11,025,000 for Universal Islands of Adventure and 10,750,000 for Universal Studios Florida, with EPCOT at 10,000,000, Hollywood Studios at 10,900,000, and Animal Kingdom at 9,027,000.

This year, however, we saw a change to this as both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure saw a change of -9.3% in attendance. This year, attendance for Universal Studios Florida was 9,750,000 while attendance for Universal Islands of Adventure was 10,000,000. Meanwhile, the Disney World parks had attendance figures of 11,980,000 for EPCOT, 8,770,000 for Animal Kingdom, and 10,300,000 for Hollywood Studios.

This dip in attendance for the two Universal Florida theme parks comes ahead of the opening of the highly anticipated new Epic Universe park in 2025. The rush of visitors visiting this new theme park could play a major role in bringing these numbers back up next year.

Universal Studios Hollywood's attendance increased by 15% with 9,660,000 visitors. 2023 was the year that the incredibly successful Super Nintendo World opened at Universal Studios Hollywood, drawing in more attendance as visitors came to experience this new land.

Read More Disney Planning Advice

For more information about the parks and the best planning information for your Disney trip, subscribe to our FREE Deals newsletter. We’ll provide you with helpful guides, all of the latest news, exclusive Disney deals, and access to the lowest-priced Disney tickets anywhere.