A total 2.3 million admissions were received by 72 museums and historical sites in Malta and Gozo last year - 7.5 per cent more than in 2013, the National Statistics Office said.

It said 26 of the sites were state managed museums. The others were run by the Church, private enterprises, voluntary or non-profit organisations.

Sixty per cent of admissions were adults and senior citizens. Group entries and other admissions made up 26 per cent while the remaining 13 per cent were youths, students and children.

Monuments and sites had the highest proportion of overall admissions, at 33 per cent. Art and archaeology and history museums were the next most popular, with 27 and 23 per cent of total admissions respectively.

There were 338 full-time staff employed by museums and historical sites last year, 57 per cent of the total work force in the sector. Seventeen per cent of staff were part-time while 26 per cent worked on a voluntary basis.

Total recurrent expenditure for active museums and historical sites in 2014 reached €12.6 million - an average of €174,751 per entity. There was a 2.7 per cent drop in average total expenditure per museum when compared to 2011.

The total income for these organisations amounted to €19.4 million, an average of €269,947per site. Admission fees continued to be the main source of reported income.