Gitnux/Report 2026

Cultural Creative Industry Statistics

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Cultural Creative Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The cultural creative industry at a glance

The cultural and creative economy is increasingly digital and internationally traded: global creative-services exports reached $1.7 trillion in 2024, more than twice creative-goods exports.

$1.7T[77]
Creative-services exports, 2024
$709B[77]
Creative-goods exports, 2024
8.9M[74]
EU cultural employment, 2025
73%[77]
Top 10 services exporters, 2024
Market size
Global creative-services exports reached $1.7 trillion in 2024, while creative-goods exports reached $709 billion. In the EU, cultural enterprises generated approximately €202 billion in value added and €524 billion in net turnover in 2023.[77][74]
Market share & regions
Creative-services trade is concentrated in developed economies: the ten largest exporters accounted for 73% of global exports in 2024, led by Ireland with 19%, followed by the United States with 17%. For creative goods, the ten largest exporters accounted for 67%, with China recording $217 billion and roughly one-third of global exports.[77]
Segmentation
The industry spans advertising, architecture, arts and crafts, design, fashion, film, video, photography, music, performing arts, publishing, software, computer games, electronic publishing, television and radio. In the EU cultural sector, creative, arts and entertainment activities represented 28.6% of cultural enterprises in 2023, while printing, recorded-media reproduction, musical-instrument and jewellery manufacturing generated 15.1% of sector value added.[77][74]
Key players & concentration
The market is highly concentrated in international trade. In 2024, the ten largest exporters captured 73% of creative-services exports and 67% of creative-goods exports; Ireland was the leading creative-services exporter at $332 billion, ahead of the United States at $294 billion.[77]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Digital content, software and research-and-development services are driving the shift toward creative-services trade: creative services represented 20% of total services exports in 2024, up from 12% in 2010. The sector also faces structural challenges, including fragmented business structures, high self-employment and unstable contracts; nearly one-third of EU cultural workers were self-employed in 2024.[77][78]
Consumer behavior & competition
Competition is moving toward digital distribution and scalable content, with software, video games and recorded media identified as major drivers of creative-goods demand. In the EU, the cultural and creative ecosystem includes around 1.2 million firms, more than 99.9% of which are small and medium-sized enterprises, indicating a fragmented supplier base competing alongside large global platforms.[79][59]
Regulation
EU policy covers audiovisual and media sectors, video games, interactive content, music, publishing and other copyright-intensive activities. Eurostat’s updated NACE Rev. 2.1 classification is designed to capture newer digital activities, including streaming, e-books and online gaming business models.[80]
Latest news
The latest available EU employment release reports 8.9 million people employed in culture in 2025, equal to 4.3% of total employment and 1.3% more than in 2024. The Netherlands had the highest cultural-employment share among EU countries at 5.7%, followed by Estonia at 5.3% and Malta at 5.1%.[74]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Cultural Creative Industry

The leading companies in the cultural creative industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

The LEGO Group leads Gitnux's 2026 cultural creative ranking with an Overall score of 9.5, driven by demand for LEGO play experiences with 12% revenue growth. The Walt Disney Company is the highest-ranked entertainment IP owner at 9.4, backed by 3% revenue growth across film, animation, entertainment and IP.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in creative toy experiences

    The LEGO Group

    DK

    Ranked #1 · 9.5 · Creative toy experiences

    Why we picked it: Demand for play experiences supported 12% revenue growth and a 26.4% operating margin.

    See in ranking ↓Visit lego.com ↗

  2. Leader in film and entertainment IP

    The Walt Disney Company

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.4 · Film and entertainment IP

    Why we picked it: Its film, animation, and entertainment franchises align with steady 3% revenue growth.

    See in ranking ↓Visit thewaltdisneycompany.com ↗

  3. Leader in live concerts and festivals

    Live Nation Entertainment

    US

    Ranked #3 · 8.9 · Live concerts and festivals

    Why we picked it: Scale in live events is reflected in 159 million fans connected to more than 11,000 artists.

    See in ranking ↓Visit livenationentertainment.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the cultural creative industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

The LEGO Group

Creative toy experiences · DK

9.5
2

The Walt Disney Company

Film and entertainment IP · US

9.4
3

Live Nation Entertainment

Live concerts and festivals · US

8.9
4

Universal Music Group

Recorded music and publishing · NL

8.8
5

Sony Group

Games and motion pictures · JP

8.8
6

Hermès

Luxury fashion, leather goods and design · FR

8.8
7

Electronic Arts

Video games and interactive entertainment · US

8.5
8

Take-Two Interactive Software

Video games and interactive entertainment · US

8.5
9

Hasbro

Toys, games and entertainment IP · US

8.3
10

Kering

Luxury fashion and creative brands · FR

7.8

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the cultural creative industry. In Cultural Creative Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cultural-creative-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Cultural employment as a share of total employment (European countries)

Netherlands leads with 5.7%.

Netherlands5.7%
Belgium5.7%
Estonia5.3%
Malta5.1%
France4.8%
Sweden4.8%
source-verifiedec.europa.eu

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption is broad in UK cultural and creative businesses, with 51% using AI in 2026 and 44% of enterprises with 250+ employees using AI. Data-intensive production also shows up in machine-learning usage and automation-linked completion work.

AI in the cultural creative industry

  • 53% of UK design and designer-fashion businesses used AI in 2026.[1]
  • 44% of UK creative enterprises with 250 or more employees used AI, compared with about 24% of microbusinesses, in 2026.[1]
  • 24% of UK cultural and creative-industry businesses used AI for visual-content creation in December 2025.[1]
  • 51% of UK creative businesses reported using AI technologies in 2026.[1]
  • 60% of UK IT, software and computer-services creative businesses used AI in 2026.[1]
  • 14% of UK cultural and creative-industry businesses used machine-learning data processing in December 2025.[1]

Automation in the cultural creative industry

  • Over half of businesses using AI visual-content technologies reported effects on creative roles in June 2026.[2]
  • 58% of UK mid-sized businesses using or planning AI cited automation as a use case in 2025.[1]
  • 75% of UK large businesses using or planning AI cited automation as a use case in 2025.[1]
  • 23% of UK businesses expected creative or design roles to be among the roles most affected by planned AI adoption in September 2025.[2]
  • 70%–80% of targeted visual-effects work was completed by Copycat’s automation process in 2026.[1]
  • 10% of OECD cultural and creative jobs were at high risk of automation, compared with 14% across the labour market, in 2021.[3]

Digital Transformation in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 76% of publisher respondents planned to encourage staff to behave more like creators in 2026, reflecting a shift toward creator-oriented digital publishing globally.[4]
  • 94% of media companies reported gains from digital-transformation efforts in 2025, the highest result among industries surveyed globally.[5]
  • 44% of surveyed news publishers said their newsroom AI initiatives were showing promising results in 2026, while 42% described results as limited globally.[4]
  • 62% of media respondents said companies are not investing enough in future business models in 2026, indicating a significant transformation funding gap globally.[4]

Technology Adoption in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 76% of publishers were piloting or experimenting with AI on business-side functions in 2025, while 18% were actively deploying AI across multiple functions.[6]
  • 22% of publishers reported not using AI for content creation and distribution in 2025, based on a survey of U.S. and UK publishers.[7]
  • 69% of digital-publishing stakeholders expected journalists to have a voice on social media in 2026, according to a survey of 163 publishing-sector participants.[8]
  • 30% of publishers reported using AI for content optimization and personalization in 2025, based on a survey of 50 U.S. and UK publishers.[7]

Cloud Computing in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 39% of media respondents identified cloud-sprawl costs, data-egress charges and unpredictable pricing as a major multicloud pain point in 2023.[9]
  • 35.4% of media and entertainment respondents identified migration to a multicloud environment as a technology trend driving observability requirements in 2025.[10]
  • 43% of media respondents cited insufficient internal skills for edge computing or specific cloud environments as a major multicloud challenge in 2023.[9]
  • 55% of media respondents identified complexity as their biggest multicloud challenge, including integration, scaling and maintenance issues, in 2023.[9]
  • 98% of media respondents expected a majority of their workloads to be cloud-native within 12 months, according to a global media and entertainment survey conducted in 2023.[9]

Big Data in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 35.4% of media and entertainment respondents identified AI adoption as a technology trend driving observability requirements in 2025, reflecting growing use of data-intensive systems.[10]
  • 56% of surveyed publishers said unifying data across platforms was a growing challenge in 2025, based on responses from 50 U.S. and UK publishers.[7]
  • 27.8% of media and entertainment respondents identified integrating business applications into workflows as a technology trend driving observability requirements in 2025.[10]
  • 39% of publishing-sector stakeholders identified data and analytics capabilities as an investment priority for the year ahead in 2025.[11]

IoT in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 39% of media-industry respondents had already implemented IoT and 5G initiatives in 2025, while 34% were in the process of adopting them across EMEA.[12]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Music operations lean on analytics: 78% of music-industry professionals engaged with music data and analytics at least weekly in 2024. Streaming remains dominant at 69.0% of recorded-music revenues in 2024.

Business intelligence in the cultural creative industry

  • 78% of surveyed music-industry professionals engaged with music data and analytics at least weekly in 2024.[13]
  • 14% of music-industry respondents used Web3 in their data operations in 2024, down from 24% in 2023.[13]
  • Music-industry respondents used an average of three different types of data tools in 2024.[13]
  • 42% of surveyed music-industry professionals engaged with music data and analytics every day in 2024.[13]
  • 22% of music-industry respondents rated their data literacy and skills as advanced in 2024.[13]
  • 40% of surveyed music-industry professionals used artificial intelligence in their data operations in 2024.[13]

Data analytics in the cultural creative industry

  • Streaming accounted for 69.0% of global recorded-music revenues in 2024.[14]
  • Global recorded-music revenues grew 4.8% to $29.6 billion in 2024.[14]
  • Global audio streaming reached 4.8 trillion streams in 2024.[15]
  • Global on-demand audio streams reached 2.8 trillion in the first half of 2026.[15]
  • Global paid subscription music accounts reached 752 million by the end of 2024.[16]

Data Quality in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 63% of publishers surveyed in 2023 reported low data quality as a challenge when collecting customer data.[6]
  • 64% of publishers surveyed globally in March 2026 identified difficulty integrating data sources into AI tools as their greatest data challenge.[6]
  • 75% of publishers surveyed globally in March 2026 said incomplete, inconsistent or outdated data affected the quality or usefulness of their AI tools.[6]
  • 52% of publishers surveyed in 2023 reported low data quality as a challenge when segmenting customer data.[6]

Data Governance in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 28% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 reported having a fully implemented data strategy.[17]
  • 37% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 reported having no data strategy.[17]
  • 28% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 reported having a partially implemented data strategy.[17]
  • 72% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 considered data very important to their daily operations.[17]
  • 46% of European media organisations surveyed in 2025 had a dedicated data team, while 34% had no dedicated data team.[17]
  • 92% of European media stakeholders surveyed in 2025 required robust data and privacy protection before joining a shared media data space.[17]

KPIs in the cultural creative industry

  • U.S. arts and cultural production included 35 industry groups in the 2023 satellite account.[18]
  • 76% of surveyed cultural-heritage practitioners said data showing progress toward a target personally motivated them in 2025.[19]
  • Creative computer systems design value added grew 76.7% in real terms from 2019 to 2023, the highest growth among U.S. arts industries.[18]
  • 27 of 35 U.S. arts industries exceeded their 2019 inflation-adjusted activity levels in 2023.[18]
  • More than 2,500 cultural organizations contributed data to the DataArts Bottom Line report covering 2016–2019.[20]
  • 79% of surveyed cultural-heritage practitioners agreed or strongly agreed that performance indicators were helpful tools in 2025.[19]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Recorded-music growth continues across regions, with 6.4% global revenue growth in 2025 to US$31.7 billion. Paid subscription streaming generated 52.4% of global recorded-music revenues in 2025.

Growth in the cultural creative industry

  • 5.1% was European Union recorded-music revenue growth in 2025, reaching €6.0 billion.[16]
  • 1.5% was recorded-music revenue growth in Australasia in 2025, with regional revenue reaching US$623 million.[16]
  • 15.2% was Sub-Saharan Africa’s recorded-music revenue growth in 2025, reaching US$120 million.[16]
  • 6.4% was global recorded-music revenue growth in 2025, extending the industry’s growth streak to eleven consecutive years.[16]
  • US$31.7 billion was global recorded-music revenue in 2025, the first year above US$30 billion.[16]
  • 30.4% was Europe’s share of global recorded-music revenues in 2025, after regional growth of 5.6%.[16]

Differentiation in the cultural creative industry

  • 45.1% of global physical recorded-music revenues came from Asia in 2025, distinguishing the region’s format mix.[16]
  • 17.1% was Latin America’s recorded-music revenue growth in 2025, differentiating the region as the fastest-growing major market.[16]
  • 97.5% of MENA recorded-music revenues were streaming-based in 2025, the highest regional channel concentration reported by IFPI.[16]
  • 78.1% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s recorded-music revenues came from South Africa in 2025.[16]

Strategic partnerships in the cultural creative industry

  • 52.4% was the share of global recorded-music revenues generated by paid subscription streaming in 2025.[16]
  • 8.8% was paid subscription-streaming revenue growth in 2025, supporting continued collaboration between rights holders and services.[16]
  • More than 50% of global recorded-music revenue came from subscription streaming in 2025, increasing the strategic importance of platform partnerships.[16]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Work is still flexible and shifting: 59% of the UK arts, culture and heritage workforce was freelance during 2015–2024. Employers also report skills and training gaps, including 32% of firms with skills deficiencies in 2026.

Hiring in the cultural creative industry

  • Nearly 50% of UK creative employers expected to expand their workforce in 2026.[21]
  • 21% of graduates recruited by UK creative-industry employers were judged inadequately prepared for their roles in 2025.[21]
  • 56% of UK creative-industry employers with skills shortages cited applicants’ lack of core business skills as a recruitment difficulty in 2026.[21]
  • 32% of UK creative-industry employers that recruited during the previous two years reported difficulty filling vacancies in 2025.[21]
  • 72% of UK creative-industry employers with hard-to-fill vacancies attributed the problem mainly to candidates lacking required skills in 2025.[21]

Employee retention in the cultural creative industry

  • 55% of NSW creative-industries employees citing a desire to leave in 2025 named a lack of future career opportunities.[22]
  • 52% of the UK film and television workforce remained out of work in July 2024.[23]
  • 6% of UK film and television workers surveyed in July 2024 had seen a full recovery in employment after the production downturn.[23]
  • 53% of surveyed arts organizations in 2024 identified better compensation elsewhere as a main cause of employee departure.[24]
  • 59% of the UK arts, culture and heritage workforce was freelance during 2015–2024, according to Creative PEC analysis.[21]

Remote Work in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • In the U.S. entertainment and media sector, 37.4% of new job postings were remote in 2024.[25]
  • Across entertainment and media job postings, 369,000 new remote-job listings were recorded globally in 2024.[25]
  • Across independent UK publishers, 42% of staff worked fully from home in 2025.[26]
  • Across independent UK publishers, 84% of staff worked partly or fully from home in 2025.[26]

Hybrid Work in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across media and entertainment employers, 87% said their organizations were still struggling to balance hybrid working in 2025.[27]
  • 42% of staff at UK independent publishers had hybrid working arrangements in 2025, while 42% worked fully from home and 16% worked fully in an office.[26]
  • 52% of newsroom leaders worldwide said hybrid and flexible working had made recruitment easier in 2023; 28% reported no change and 15% said recruitment became harder.[28]
  • Across independent UK publishers, 58% of organizations required full-time staff to work a minimum number of days in the office in 2025.[26]
  • Across independent UK publishers, 42% of staff had hybrid working arrangements in 2025.[26]

Upskilling in the cultural creative industry

  • 32% of UK creative-industry firms reported skills deficiencies among their workforce in 2026.[21]
  • 45% of Scottish creative-industry employers had provided no training during the year before the 2022 survey.[29]
  • 69% of Scottish creative-industry employers expected employees to need skills upgrades because of new technologies or products in 2022.[29]
  • 20% of UK creative employers with skills gaps said their workforce’s sustainability or green skills needed improvement in 2026.[21]
  • 71% of UK creative-industry workers surveyed by Prospect had never been offered training in 2025.[30]

Employee Engagement in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Creative and media employees scored 7.67 out of 10 for engagement in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[31]
  • Creative and media employees rated autonomy 8.62 out of 10 in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[31]
  • Creative and media employees rated work-life balance 7.29 out of 10 in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[31]
  • Creative and media employees rated meaningful work 8.76 out of 10 in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[31]
  • Creative and media employees recorded an average eNPS of +22 in CultureMonkey’s Q3 2026 benchmark.[31]

DEI in the cultural creative industry

  • 14.1% of New York City creative-industry workers were Hispanic in 2023.[32]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Visitor and audience retention is measurable: 90% of museum visitors rated experiences Excellent or Outstanding in July 2024–June 2025. Online demand is tracked through revenue attribution, including 40.5% from organic search in 2025.

Customer experience in the cultural creative industry

  • 72% of non-retail visitors reported overall satisfaction when exhibits or performances were the best part of their cultural visit in 2023.[33]
  • 79% of museum visitors were highly likely to recommend the museum to a friend or colleague in the July 2024–June 2025 period.[34]
  • 90% of museum visitors rated their overall experience Excellent or Outstanding in the July 2024–June 2025 period across 84 U.S. museums.[34]
  • 74% of retail visitors reported overall satisfaction when visiting a new place was the best part of their cultural visit in 2023.[33]
  • 83% of retail visitors reported overall satisfaction when time with family and friends was the best part of their cultural visit in 2023.[33]

Customer retention in the cultural creative industry

  • 33.5% of Canadian arts audiences returned to the same organization within one year in 2026.[35]
  • 22% of U.S. consumers who had cancelled an SVOD service had returned to the same service within six months in 2026.[36]
  • 17.3% of first-time arts audiences in the combined U.S. and Canadian dataset returned within one year in 2019.[35]
  • 30% of audiences in the United Kingdom and Ireland reattended the same arts organization within one year during the three years to 2026.[35]
  • 31% of U.S. arts audiences returned to the same organization within one year in 2026.[35]

Customer acquisition in the cultural creative industry

  • 40.5% of website revenue for arts and cultural organizations came from organic search in the 2025 Substrakt benchmark.[37]
  • 3.78% was the email conversion rate recorded for arts and cultural organizations in the 2025 Substrakt benchmark.[37]
  • 43.29% was the year-on-year increase in membership sales among arts and cultural organizations in 2024.[37]
  • 39.28% was the year-on-year increase in ticket transactions across the total arts-organization cohort in 2024.[37]
  • 17.85% was the year-on-year increase in ticket transactions among the comparable arts-organization cohort in 2024.[37]

Customer loyalty in the cultural creative industry

  • 96% of consumers surveyed across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia identified as part of some fandom in 2025.[38]
  • 30% of media and entertainment fans had bought fandom merchandise during the six months before Deloitte’s 2026 survey.[36]
  • 58% of U.S. music superfans used Instagram to engage with music content or artists in 2026.[38]
  • 89% of music fans surveyed in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia said their fandom was central to their identity in 2025.[38]
  • 83% of U.S. music superfans used YouTube to engage with music content or artists in 2026.[38]

Lead generation in the cultural creative industry

  • 83% of arts organizations said there was room to improve email segmentation in the 2016 benchmark study.[39]
  • 91% of arts organizations said email collection was extremely important in the 2016 benchmark study.[39]
  • 40% of arts ticket buyers reported initial awareness through social-media posts generated by the arts organization in 2021.[40]
  • 90% of arts organizations said email collection was extremely important in the 2015 digital-marketing benchmark.[41]
  • 91% of arts organizations reported knowing email collection was extremely important in the 2015 benchmark study.[39]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Digital channels are quantified through engagement outcomes, including 69.8% email open rate for best-performing arts organizations in 2026. Influencer spend is also tracked, with $32.6 billion estimated global influencer-marketing market in 2025.

Marketing in the cultural creative industry

  • 40% of performing-arts organizations sent constituents exactly one email per week in 2014.[41]
  • 25% of performing-arts organizations sent emails less than once per week in 2014.[41]
  • 69.8% was the email open rate for the best-performing arts, culture and in-person-experience organizations in 2026.[42]
  • 65% of performing-arts organizations sent one email per week or fewer in 2014.[41]
  • 1.9% was the average unique click rate for arts, culture and in-person-experience email marketing in 2026.[42]

Digital marketing in the cultural creative industry

  • 42% of arts organizations used fundraising videos in digital campaigns in 2016.[39]
  • 29% was the year-on-year increase in website sessions for arts and cultural organizations in the 2025 Substrakt benchmark.[37]
  • 18% was the average increase in arts organizations’ mobile-device traffic reported in the 2016 benchmark study.[39]
  • 17% was the average increase in monthly unique website sessions reported by arts organizations in 2016.[39]
  • 27% of arts organizations supported fundraising campaigns with display advertising in 2016.[39]

Branding in the cultural creative industry

  • 32% of daily music engagers on Instagram qualified as superfans in the 2026 Luminate study.[38]
  • 10% was the approximate off-platform streaming lift associated with the week of an Instagram Activation and the following four weeks in the 2026 Luminate study.[38]
  • 27% of daily music engagers on TikTok qualified as superfans in the 2026 Luminate study.[38]
  • 64% of music fans surveyed across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia were more favorable toward brands connected to musicians or the music industry in 2025.[38]
  • 66% of music fans surveyed across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia would consider purchasing from brands advertising around music videos in 2025.[38]

Social media in the cultural creative industry

  • $55 per month was the average non-live music spending of Instagram music engagers in the 2026 Luminate study.[38]
  • 45% of Instagram’s daily music engagers attended a live music event during the year before the 2026 Luminate study.[38]
  • 38% of U.S. music consumers who use social media engaged with music content or artists on Instagram in the 2026 Luminate study.[38]
  • 21% of Instagram’s daily music engagers bought vinyl during the year before the 2026 Luminate study.[38]
  • $18 per month was the average streaming spending of Instagram music engagers in the 2026 Luminate study.[38]

Influencer Marketing in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • $37.1 billion was projected for U.S. creator advertising spend in 2025, including sponsored content, paid amplification and planned creator adjacencies.[43]
  • 56% of brands said generating user-generated content was the main purpose of their influencer campaigns in 2024, versus 23% citing sales generation.[44]
  • 17% of media-agency respondents in a 2026 survey said they partnered with influencers to create content for retail media globally.[45]
  • 69% of brands using influencer marketing reported using TikTok in 2024, compared with 47% using Instagram, 33% YouTube and 28% Facebook.[44]
  • $32.6 billion was the estimated global influencer-marketing market in 2025, up from $24.0 billion in 2024.[43]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational tooling adoption varies by SME function, including 73% using electronic invoicing in 2024 and 86% using cloud-based computing applications in 2023. Output-per-hour changes remain small but directionally negative at -5% from 2022 to 2023.

Process optimization in the cultural creative industry

  • 10% of UK creative-industry SMEs used enterprise-resource-planning software in 2024.[21]
  • 46% of UK creative-industry SMEs used project-management software in 2024.[21]
  • 24% of UK creative-industry SMEs used HR-management software in 2024.[21]
  • 87% of UK creative-industry SMEs used accountancy software in 2024.[21]
  • 90% of UK creative-industry SMEs used videoconferencing software in 2024.[21]

Operational efficiency in the cultural creative industry

  • 1% was the increase in UK creative-industries output per hour between 2019 and 2023.[1]
  • £9 per hour was the UK museums, galleries and libraries subsector’s output per hour in 2023.[1]
  • 5% was the approximate year-on-year decline in UK creative-industries output per hour from 2022 to 2023.[1]
  • 81% of UK creative-industry employers used specialised software in 2023.[21]
  • £53 per hour was the highest UK creative-industries subsector productivity level in 2023, recorded in advertising and marketing.[1]

Quality management in the cultural creative industry

  • 73% of UK creative-industry SMEs used electronic invoicing in 2024, supporting documented transaction control.[21]
  • 86% of UK creative-industry employers used cloud-based computing applications in 2023.[21]
  • 11% of UK creative-industry SMEs used supply-chain-management tools in 2024.[21]
  • 56% of UK creative-industry SMEs used payroll software in 2024.[21]
  • 44% of UK creative-industry SMEs used customer-relationship-management software in 2024, providing structured client information for service control.[21]

Supply chain in the cultural creative industry

  • 24% of Canadian arts, entertainment and recreation businesses reported new technologies as a significant five-year business impact in 2024.[46]
  • 41% of Canadian arts, entertainment and recreation businesses reported labour and skills shortages as a significant five-year impact in 2024.[46]
  • 39% of Canadian arts, entertainment and recreation businesses reported changing client and customer preferences as a significant five-year impact in 2024.[46]
  • 36% of Canadian arts, entertainment and recreation businesses reported supply-chain disruptions or issues as a significant five-year business impact in 2024.[46]
  • 75% of Canadian arts, entertainment and recreation businesses reported increased costs of doing business as a significant five-year impact in 2024.[46]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the media and publishing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 37% of academic publishers outsourced the majority of copyediting to offshore vendors in 2025, based on a global survey concentrated in the United Kingdom and United States.[47]
  • 65% of surveyed academic publishers were concerned about offshoring work, according to Deanta’s global academic-publishing survey; the survey year is not stated on the source page.[48]
  • 24% of academic publishers outsourced the majority of indexing to offshore vendors in 2025, based on a global survey concentrated in the United Kingdom and United States.[47]
  • 54% of academic publishers outsourced the majority of typesetting to offshore vendors in 2025, based on a global survey concentrated in the United Kingdom and United States.[47]
  • 82% of surveyed academic publishers offshored work, according to Deanta’s global academic-publishing survey; the survey year is not stated on the source page.[48]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Agency pricing pressure shows up in reported planned increases: 28% planned price increases of 11% to 15% in 2025. Cash flow risk is also reported, with 63% reporting unpredictable cash flow in 2025.

Pricing strategy in the cultural creative industry

  • 10% of U.S. agencies planned price increases above 20% in 2025.[49]
  • 28% of U.S. agencies planned price increases of 11% to 15% in 2025.[49]
  • 69% was the average billability rate reported by creative agencies in 2023.[50]
  • 47.5% of creative agencies were implementing value-based pricing in the 2024 industry survey.[50]
  • 27% of agencies said they were paid a fair price for their work in the 2025 IPA survey.[51]

Cost reduction in the cultural creative industry

  • 57% of U.S. creative, digital and marketing agencies lost $1,000 to $5,000 per month to scope creep in 2025.[52]
  • 75% of Canadian arts, entertainment and recreation businesses identified increased business costs as a significant five-year impact in 2024.[46]
  • 83% of U.S. promotional-products distributors adjusted client pricing in response to supplier or logistics cost increases in 2025.[53]
  • 53% of U.S. promotional-products distributors absorbed supplier or logistics cost increases internally in 2025.[53]
  • 36% of Canadian arts, entertainment and recreation businesses identified supply-chain disruption as a significant five-year impact in 2024.[46]

Profitability in the cultural creative industry

  • £49 per hour was the UK film, television, radio and photography creative subsector’s output in 2023.[1]
  • 13% was the average net margin reported by global digital agencies in 2025.[54]
  • 68% of marketing-agency leaders reported operating margins above 20% in 2026.[55]
  • 21.3% was the increase in estimated average major-studio film net profit from 2024 to 2025.[56]
  • 25% was the projected average agency margin in the 2025 event-marketing agency survey.[57]

Financial planning in the cultural creative industry

  • 51% of UK creative organisations believed funders viewed them as too risky to invest in.[21]
  • 97% of U.S. creative, digital and marketing agencies were chasing late payments in 2025.[52]
  • 63% of U.S. creative, digital and marketing agencies reported unpredictable cash flow in 2025.[52]
  • 72% of UK creative organisations reported an appetite for growth in the finance-gap study.[21]
  • 41% of UK creative organisations said no suitable financial products met their needs.[21]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

AI is linked to production volume and workflow outcomes: 75% of content professionals said AI increased content volume in 2026, and 82% of content teams reported higher output than the previous year in 2026.

Product development in the cultural creative industry

  • 75% of content professionals said artificial intelligence had increased content volume in 2026.[58]
  • 82% of content teams reported higher content output than the previous year in 2026, based on a survey of creative professionals.[58]
  • Creative computer systems design value added in the United States grew 76.7% in real terms between 2019 and 2023.[18]
  • 37% of creative teams identified eliminating duplicate or outdated product data as a leading improvement opportunity in 2026.[58]
  • 35% of creative teams reported missed revenue opportunities caused by fragmented digital-asset management in 2026.[58]

Product lifecycle in the cultural creative industry

  • 56% of creative teams managed product information separately from the digital assets used to market and sell products in 2026.[58]
  • 43% of content teams reported fully mature and efficient workflows in 2026.[58]
  • 48% of teams with advanced creative workflows reported significant return-on-investment gains in 2026.[58]
  • 16% of teams with slower content-update timelines reported significant revenue increases in 2026.[58]
  • 88% of creative teams struggled to keep product content consistent across channels in 2026.[58]

Value proposition in the cultural creative industry

  • The global cultural and creative industries generated an estimated $2.25 trillion in annual revenue in 2015.[3]
  • Cultural and creative industries represented approximately 3.95% of European Union value added in the latest European Commission estimate.[59]
  • More than 99.9% of European Union cultural and creative industry firms were small or medium-sized enterprises in the latest European Commission estimate.[59]
  • Web publishing and streaming generated $181.538 billion in U.S. value added in 2023.[18]
  • Cultural and creative industries employed around 8 million people in the European Union in the latest European Commission estimate.[59]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability metrics are tracked with specific operational impacts, including 175,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually by the UK screen industry. Fashion compliance costs are also quantified through shipment detentions at US borders in 2026.

Sustainability in the cultural creative industry

  • 63% of fashion companies remained behind their sustainability commitments in 2025, according to McKinsey’s industry analysis.[60]
  • 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools of water are used annually by the textile industry, according to UNEP.[61]
  • 2,500 screen productions supplied the data underlying BAFTA albert’s 2024 sustainability analysis.[62]
  • 18% of fashion executives ranked sustainability among their three greatest growth risks in 2025.[60]
  • 175,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions are produced annually by the UK screen industry, according to BAFTA albert.[62]

ESG in the cultural creative industry

  • 8% of assessed fashion companies had long-term net-zero targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative in 2024.[63]
  • 43% of major fashion brands disclosed progress against their climate targets in Fashion Revolution’s 2024 review.[64]
  • 92% of major fashion companies lacked a public renewable-electricity target for their supply chains in 2024.[64]
  • 58% of assessed fashion companies had short-term emissions targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative in 2024.[63]
  • 71% of 52 major fashion companies disclosed total annual value-chain carbon emissions, including Scope 3, in Remake’s 2024 assessment.[63]

Ethics in the cultural creative industry

  • 29% of assessed fashion companies had not committed to science-based emissions targets in Remake’s 2024 accountability report.[63]
  • 96% of major fashion brands had not publicly committed to a Just Transition strategy in Fashion Revolution’s 2024 assessment.[64]
  • 21% of fashion brands surveyed in 2026 had experienced shipment detentions at US borders because of compliance issues including forced-labour prevention and proof-of-origin rules.[65]
  • 4% of major fashion brands disclosed efforts to retain or reskill supply-chain workers whose jobs were at risk in 2024.[64]

CSR in the cultural creative industry

  • 854 listed consumer-goods companies disclosed sustainability information in the OECD’s global 2024 sample.[3]
  • 23% of Japanese listed consumer-goods companies disclosed sustainability information by company count in the OECD’s 2024 sample.[3]
  • 46% of US listed consumer-goods companies disclosed sustainability information by company count in the OECD’s 2024 sample.[3]
  • 4,734 listed consumer-goods companies were analysed globally in the OECD’s 2024 corporate sustainability report.[3]
  • 87% of listed consumer-goods market capitalisation was represented by companies disclosing sustainability information in the OECD’s 2024 sample.[3]

Circular economy in the cultural creative industry

  • 81% lower onsite-electricity emissions were recorded for a Massive Attack event using grid power instead of diesel generators.[66]
  • 2,000 cultural organisations, galleries, artists’ studios and related members were represented by the Gallery Climate Coalition in more than 60 countries in 2025.[67]
  • 25,800 tonnes of waste are generated annually by festivals, according to figures cited in a 2025 report on sustainable live music.[66]
  • 80% of nylon scraps were recycled by Moncler in 2023, according to the company’s sustainability profile reported by TIME.[68]
  • 51.3% was the average renewable-electricity share of leading global fashion groups in 2020.[69]

Carbon footprint in the cultural creative industry

  • 34% of feature-film emissions came from travel and transport in BAFTA albert’s 2024 dataset.[62]
  • 115 feature films used BAFTA albert certification or its carbon calculator in 2024.[62]
  • 28,921 tonnes of CO₂e were reported by combined-arts organisations in Julie’s Bicycle’s 2024–25 portfolio.[70]
  • 22,997 tonnes of CO₂e were reported by museums in Julie’s Bicycle’s 2024–25 portfolio.[70]
  • 66.42 tonnes of CO₂e per hour was the average carbon footprint of feature films in BAFTA albert’s 2024 dataset.[62]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade is shaped by developed-economy concentration for services, with developed countries holding 95% of global cultural-services exports in the UNESCO analysis. Cultural-goods exports remain China-led, with $217 billion from China.

Globalization in the cultural creative industry

  • 46% of global cultural-goods exports originated in developing countries in the latest UNESCO assessment.[76]
  • 15.2% was the growth of recorded-music revenues in the Middle East and North Africa in 2025, with streaming representing 97.5% of regional revenues.[16]
  • 95% was the average share of global cultural-services exports held by developed countries in the period covered by UNESCO’s analysis.[76]
  • 0.5% was the approximate share of global cultural-goods trade represented by least-developed countries in UNESCO’s analysis.[76]
  • US$254 billion was the value of global trade in cultural goods in 2023, double the 2005 level worldwide.[76]

Cultural adaptation in the cultural creative industry

  • 57 of 58 recorded-music markets measured by IFPI recorded revenue growth in 2025, indicating broad local-market adaptation and expansion.[16]
  • 20.1% was China’s recorded-music revenue growth in 2025, the fastest growth among the global top 20 markets.[16]
  • 8.9% was Japan’s recorded-music revenue growth in 2025 after the market returned to growth.[16]
  • 13.3% was Mexico’s recorded-music revenue growth in 2025, helping it become the world’s tenth-largest recorded-music market.[16]
  • 14.1% was Brazil’s recorded-music revenue growth in 2025, moving the country up to eighth place globally.[16]

Stakeholder management in the cultural creative industry

  • 67% of people in developed countries had access to essential digital skills, compared with 28% in developing countries, according to UNESCO.[76]
  • Less than 0.6% of GDP was represented by direct public funding for culture in UNESCO’s 2026 global assessment.[76]
  • 35% of creators’ income came from digital revenues in UNESCO’s 2026 assessment, up from 17% in 2018.[76]
  • 0.15% of Country Programmable Aid was allocated to culture in 2022, according to UNESCO’s global cultural-policy assessment.[76]
  • 63% of countries supported digital-creation programmes in UNESCO’s 2026 global assessment of cultural and creative sectors.[76]

Distribution channels in the cultural creative industry

  • 2.9 billion US dollars was the value of global performance-rights revenues in 2025.[16]
  • 8.0% was the increase in global physical-format recorded-music revenues in 2025.[16]
  • US$22 billion was generated by global streaming revenues in 2025, exceeding that threshold for the first time.[16]
  • 69.6% of global recorded-music revenues came from streaming in 2025, making it the industry’s largest distribution channel.[16]
  • 27% was paid-music-streaming subscriber penetration in the European Union in 2025, compared with 54% in the United States.[16]

Key questions about the cultural creative industry

What is the market size for cultural creative exports?
Global creative-services exports reached $1.7 trillion in 2024, compared with $709 billion for creative-goods exports.
How is growth changing across the creative-services vs creative-goods trade?
Creative-services exports are outpacing goods, and creative services’ share of total services exports rose to 20% in 2024 from 12% in 2010.
Which companies lead the cultural creative industry?
The LEGO Group leads Gitnux's 2026 cultural creative ranking with an Overall score of 9.5, driven by demand for LEGO play experiences with 12% revenue growth. The Walt Disney Company is the highest-ranked entertainment IP owner at 9.4, backed by 3% revenue growth across film, animation, entertainment and IP.
What technology shifts are most visible in production and media workflows?
AI adoption is wide: 51% of UK creative businesses reported using AI in 2026, and 60% of UK IT/software/computer-services creative businesses used AI in 2026.
How concentrated is the industry in global exports?
Export trade is concentrated: the top ten exporters captured 73% of creative-services exports in 2024 and 67% of creative-goods exports.
How fragmented is the supplier base in the EU cultural ecosystem?
The EU cultural and creative ecosystem has around 1.2 million firms, with more than 99.9% as SMEs.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Cultural Creative Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cultural-creative-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Cultural Creative Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/cultural-creative-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Cultural Creative Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cultural-creative-industry-statistics.

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