Number of Cinemas by Country - The World in Stats

INTRODUCTION

Cinema has become an important part of popular culture and entertainment around the world, providing audiences with a shared experience that combines storytelling, technology, and visual art. The number of cinemas and screens varies considerably between countries, reflecting differences in population, economic development, consumer habits, and access to entertainment. Over time, changes in technology and the growth of multiplexes have also transformed the cinema industry, while countries such as the United States and China have developed some of the world’s largest cinema markets. This page presents statistics on cinemas and cinema screens, including international comparisons, historical trends, major cinema chains, and the number of screens relative to population.

Statistics

1. Number of Cinema Screens by Country Per 100,000 People for Countries with 60+ Million People (Ranking Chart)

2. Number of Cinema Screens in USA by Type and Year 1987 – 2020 (Trend Chart)

3. Number of Cinema Screens in USA and China by Year (Comparison Chart)

4. Top 10 Cinema Chains in the World by Number of Screens (Ranking Chart)

5. Cinema Screens Per 100,000 Inhabitants by Country in Britain and Ireland (Comparison Chart)

The number of cinema screens per capita reflects the level of economic development of a country as well as the market for films and the cinema going culture of the country.

There are approximately 200,000 cinema screens worldwide. 40,000 of these are in the USA. The USA, being the home of the global film industry based in Hollywood, unsurprisingly has the largest number of cinema screens per capita in the world. France, the birthplace of cinema, is 2nd. Paris has the highest density of cinemas in the world. All the top 5 are developed western countries. Mexico is notably high for a developing country. There is a great passion for cinema-going in Mexico. The passion for films in Mexico has doubtless contributed to the recent success of Mexican film directors in Hollywood. Despite it’s high volume of film production, India has a relatively small number of cinema screens per capita.

There has been an increase in the number of cinema screens in the USA. It was more dramatic in the 90s. There was a brief period from 1999 to 2001 when the number of cinema screens declined but since then there has been a steady increase although far less dramatic than in the 90s. The number of outdoor cinemas has declined significantly.

Photo by Coolcaesar

Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

AMC is an American cinema chain which is the largest cinema chain in the world. It has over 10,000 cinema screens in total, mostly in the United States. The AMC megaplex (pictured) in Ontario, California has 30 screens.

This chart highlights the contrasting trajectories of cinema infrastructure in China and the United States over the past decade. China has seen an extraordinary rise in the number of cinema screens in the past decade from 5,000 in 2010 to 70,000 in 2020. The USA still has more cinema screens on a per capita basis but China has surpassed many high income countries in per capita terms as well. The rapid rise in the number of cinema screens in China corresponds to an overall rapid economic growth.

While the USA’s screen count has remained relatively stable, reflecting a mature market, China’s expansion has been driven by urbanisation, rising incomes, and strong domestic demand for entertainment. This growth has also supported the development of China’s domestic film industry, making it one of the largest cinema markets in the world. Overall, the chart illustrates how economic growth can rapidly transform cultural infrastructure.

The chart shows the enormous scale of the global cinema exhibition industry, with the largest chains operating thousands of screens across multiple countries. AMC, based in the United States, is the clear leader with more than 10,000 screens, followed by Cineworld of the United Kingdom with around 8,000. Mexico is particularly notable, with two companies—Cinépolis and Cinemex—appearing among the top ten. Together, they demonstrate the strength of Mexico’s cinema market and its major international presence.

The United States also has Cinemark in the top four, while South Korea’s CGV and Canada’s Cineplex demonstrate the global reach of major cinema chains. India’s PVR INOX and China’s Wanda are further evidence that cinema exhibition is increasingly international rather than being dominated exclusively by Hollywood’s home market. The presence of both established Western companies and rapidly growing Asian and Latin American chains reflects the enormous worldwide demand for theatrical film, despite the rise of streaming services.

The chart compares the number of cinema screens per 100,000 inhabitants across the four nations of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland has the highest figure, with approximately 11 screens per 100,000 people. The Republic of Ireland follows closely, at just under 10, while Scotland has around 7 screens per 100,000 inhabitants.

England and Wales have the lowest figures, both at approximately 6.5 screens per 100,000 people. This is particularly notable given that England has by far the largest population of the countries shown, meaning that its overall number of cinema screens is much greater even though the rate per person is relatively low.

The relatively high figures for Ireland and Northern Ireland may reflect their smaller populations and the concentration of cinemas in urban centres. Overall, the chart suggests that cinema availability on a per-person basis is considerably higher in Ireland and Northern Ireland than in England and Wales.