V&A Dundee has revealed 833,000 people visited the museum in its first year – more than 300,000 higher than originally predicted.
The figures were announced at the weekend during a series of events to celebrate the one-year anniversary.
The original estimate was that 500,000 visitors would walk through the door within a year but that has been surpassed by some distance.
The full economic impact is still to be researched but it is thought to have contributed heavily to a £16 million boost in the value of Dundee tourism last year.
The building has also led to a huge amount of worldwide coverage, having featured on many ‘must visit’ lists published by magazines, newspapers and guide books over the past 18 months.
It is Scotland’s first design museum and sits at the centre of the waterfront, an ambitious 30-year, £1 billion regeneration project which began in 2001.
Architect Kengo Kuma, who designed the V&A, said: “I’m very happy to see that after a year people are enjoying the space.
“My idea for the museum was that it would be a living room for the city and that people would use it as such.
“I’m very happy to hear that the visitor figures have been high.”
Council leader John Alexander said “money can’t buy” the exposure it has given Dundee.
He said: “People know about us now and that translates into both tourism and business. There’s more to come from the impact all of this is having.”
Independent research commissioned by V&A Dundee before its opening estimated the museum’s economic impact in the first year would be £10.3m in Dundee and £23m across the whole of Scotland.
This was expected to support 178 full-time equivalent jobs in Dundee and 604 across Scotland. The actual economic impact is expected to be much higher when research is commissioned and published.
ScotRail, meanwhile, said more than one million people had travelled to the city by train since it opened, a 14% rise compared to the previous year.
Philip Long, director of V&A Dundee, said: “The last 12 months have been remarkable and I can hardly believe all that’s been achieved in that time.”
Free guided tours were on offer to visitors yesterday while a bubble-blowing robot arm was also showcased as part of the celebrations.
The museum received thousands of birthday wishes online including one from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former Dundee University rector Stephen Fry.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also congratulated the attraction on a “spectacular” first year.