The museum statistics are based on a voluntary annual survey conducted by Statistics Austria. The population is represented by a pool of addresses processed by the Museumsbund Österreich in the course of museum registration, which exclusively contains units that meet the requirements of the ICOM (International Council of Museums) definition of a museum in terms of quality. The statistics provide information on museum visits and activities as well as structural characteristics, employment and financial management.
The architectural heritage is presented using data that is available on an annual basis. These come from the monument database of the Federal Monuments Office (since 2020 from the new HERIS database) and from the cultural reports of the Federal Government. The data on facade restoration activities is provided by the Federal Monuments Office.