Disney’s attendance lead held in 2025, but the biggest clue is where its parks actually grew

A fresh set of theme park attendance numbers is out, and Disney is still far ahead of every other operator worldwide. The more interesting takeaway for Disney fans is not who won, but which parks moved, which barely budged, and where a new rival is starting to reshape the board.

The Themed Entertainment Association’s 2025 Global Experience Index says Disney Experiences drew 146.9 million visits across its worldwide parks portfolio in 2025, up 1.1 percent from 145.2 million in 2024. That kept Disney in first place globally by a wide margin, while the combined total for the world’s top 25 parks was nearly flat at 245.4 million visits, down 0.2 percent from 245.9 million.

At the park level, Magic Kingdom remained the world’s most visited theme park with 17.8 million visits, essentially unchanged from 2024. Disneyland in Anaheim stayed close behind in second with 17.4 million, up 0.4 percent. Other Disney parks high on the global list included Tokyo Disneyland in fourth with 15.2 million, Shanghai Disneyland in fifth at just under 15 million, Tokyo DisneySea in seventh with 12.6 million, and EPCOT in eighth with 12.1 million.

The report also placed Disneyland Paris in ninth with 10.8 million visits, up 5.7 percent from 10.2 million, while Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris rose 5.7 percent to 5.9 million. The index says those gains reflect a rebound from a 2024 period disrupted by the Olympics, which diverted some leisure travel.

What changed for Disney, and who it affects

For Walt Disney World, the update is mostly a story of stability rather than growth. The four Florida parks were listed at 17.8 million for Magic Kingdom, 12.109 million for EPCOT, 10.312 million for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and 8.782 million for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with each shown at minus 0.2 percent. Disneyland Resort in California was stronger, adding 27.5 million visits from Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, with both parks up 0.4 percent.

That matters most to Disney park watchers because the new annual benchmark suggests Disney’s attendance leadership is intact even as guest counts stayed largely level in Florida. The index notes that Disney reported record operating income from its parks segment despite flat attendance, a result interpreted as stronger spending per guest rather than a major jump in gate counts.

The wider competitive picture also shifted in 2025. Universal Epic Universe opened on May 22, 2025 at Universal Orlando Resort and logged 4 million visits in roughly seven months, placing 13th in North America. The index says that launch is likely to help create a future North American top 10 made up entirely of Disney and Universal parks.

One caveat for fans digging into the rankings. The published index includes a few internal mismatches, including a statement that Disney holds nine of the world’s top 25 parks even though the listed rankings include 12 Disney-branded parks. Even with those inconsistencies, the headline result is clear: the latest 2025 standings are now in, and Disney still sits on top.