Gitnux/Report 2026

Diversity Equity and Inclusion in the Creative Industry Statistics

Women lead more creative roles than many people assume, yet 46% of employees still say they would leave a company that does not value DEI, and board and executive representation gaps persist. Get the tensions behind brand trust and creative hiring, from 78% of S&P 500 companies with executive level DEI responsibility to how advertising, TV, and arts workforces break down by race and ethnicity.
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July 10, 2026Updated
Diversity Equity and Inclusion in the Creative Industry Statistics
Leah KesslerWritten by Leah Kessler·Edited by Julian Richter·Fact-checked by Olivia Thornton
Published ·Updated
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46% of employees said they would consider leaving a company that does not value DEI, which makes inclusion a retention issue as much as a hiring one. The creative workforce shows mixed progress, with women making up 55.4% of art directors and 49% of producers and directors in the United States, while only 17% of US TV show creators were women. These statistics show where representation has improved and where leadership gaps remain.

Key Takeaways

  • 34.2% of graphic designers reported being women in the United States (2023)
  • 49% of producers and directors in the United States reported being women in 2023
  • 55.4% of art directors in the United States reported being women in 2023
  • 46% of employees said they would consider leaving a company that does not value DEI (survey, 2024)
  • 7.9% of Fortune 500 CEOs were Asian in 2024 (context for creative-industry leadership representation)
  • 85% of S&P 500 companies had at least one woman on their boards in 2024
  • 15.5% of board directors at S&P 500 were underrepresented minorities as of 2024 (context for representation)
  • 25% of UK creative workers are from ethnic minority backgrounds, according to a 2023 analysis of UK creative industry workforce composition
  • 6.9% of workers in the US advertising industry are Hispanic or Latino, per US Bureau of Labor Statistics employment composition (2022)
  • In the US advertising workforce, 27.1% of employees are Black or African American or other racial/ethnic minority groups combined (2022 occupational workforce composition data for selected advertising-related occupations)
  • 49% of organizations say their DEI efforts are linked to performance goals for managers (survey, 2023)
  • 71% of respondents in a 2023 global survey said DEI affects brand trust and perception
  • In US television, 24.3% of speaking characters in prime-time broadcast TV were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups in 2022–2023 (GLAAD/Media representation analysis season report)
  • In the UK, 18% of creative organizations said they have employee resource groups or similar affinity groups (survey result, 2023)

Women lead many creative roles, but DEI gaps persist, influencing retention and brand trust.

Related reading

01 · Category

Workforce Demographics6 stats

01
34.2% of graphic designers reported being women in the United States (2023)[1]
02
49% of producers and directors in the United States reported being women in 2023[1]
03
55.4% of art directors in the United States reported being women in 2023[1]
04
56.8% of craft artists in the United States reported being women in 2023[1]
05
52.0% of photographers in the United States reported being women in 2023[1]
06
56.4% of U.S. computer and mathematical occupations were men in 2023; 43.6% were women (used as a proxy for creative-adjacent tech workforce gender context)[1]
Interpretation

Workforce Demographics Interpretation

In Workforce Demographics, women form a clear majority across many creative roles in the US in 2023, with the highest share at 56.8% among craft artists and strong representation at 55.4% of art directors and 52.0% of photographers, while the creative-adjacent tech workforce is more mixed at 56.4% men and 43.6% women.

02 · Category

Leadership Representation5 stats

01
7.9% of Fortune 500 CEOs were Asian in 2024 (context for creative-industry leadership representation)[2]
02
85% of S&P 500 companies had at least one woman on their boards in 2024[3]
03
15.5% of board directors at S&P 500 were underrepresented minorities as of 2024 (context for representation)[3]
04
78% of S&P 500 companies reported having an executive-level DEI role or responsibility in 2024[4]
05
17% of TV show creators in the US were women in the 2022–2023 season, based on a US television representation analysis[5]
Interpretation

Leadership Representation Interpretation

Leadership in the creative industry still shows uneven representation, as just 7.9% of Fortune 500 CEOs were Asian in 2024 while 85% of S&P 500 boards included women and 78% of companies reported an executive-level DEI role or responsibility in 2024, suggesting DEI structures are becoming common even as top leadership diversity lags.

03 · Category

Workforce Representation5 stats

01
25% of UK creative workers are from ethnic minority backgrounds, according to a 2023 analysis of UK creative industry workforce composition[6]
02
6.9% of workers in the US advertising industry are Hispanic or Latino, per US Bureau of Labor Statistics employment composition (2022)[1]
03
In the US advertising workforce, 27.1% of employees are Black or African American or other racial/ethnic minority groups combined (2022 occupational workforce composition data for selected advertising-related occupations)[1]
04
In the US, 17.2% of employees in arts, entertainment, and recreation are Black or African American (2022 composition)[1]
05
Hispanic/Latino workers make up 18.2% of the US creative workforce segment studied in the same 2023 report on representation in media and entertainment[7]
Interpretation

Workforce Representation Interpretation

Workforce representation in the creative industry remains uneven, with only 25% of UK creative workers coming from ethnic minority backgrounds and US advertising showing that just 6.9% are Hispanic or Latino while 27.1% are Black or other racial and ethnic minority groups combined.

More related reading

04 · Category

Audience Impact2 stats

01
71% of respondents in a 2023 global survey said DEI affects brand trust and perception[8]
02
In US television, 24.3% of speaking characters in prime-time broadcast TV were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups in 2022–2023 (GLAAD/Media representation analysis season report)[7]
Interpretation

Audience Impact Interpretation

From an Audience Impact perspective, 71% of respondents say DEI influences brand trust and perception and US prime-time TV still had only 24.3% of speaking characters from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups in 2022 to 2023, showing that audience attitudes are strongly tied to DEI while representation remains uneven.

05 · Category

Workplace Culture1 stats

01
46% of employees said they would consider leaving a company that does not value DEI (survey, 2024)[9]
Interpretation

Workplace Culture Interpretation

With 46% of employees saying they would consider leaving a company that does not value DEI, workplace culture is clearly becoming a key retention factor in the creative industry.

06 · Category

Overview2 stats

01
49% of organizations say their DEI efforts are linked to performance goals for managers (survey, 2023)[10]
02
In the UK, 18% of creative organizations said they have employee resource groups or similar affinity groups (survey result, 2023)[11]
Interpretation

Industry Overview Interpretation

In the creative industry, 49% of organizations tie DEI efforts to managers’ performance goals, and this accountability focus is reflected in pockets of engagement such as the UK where 18% of creative organizations have employee resource or affinity groups.
report visual · Comparison

Women’s Representation Across Creative Roles (US, 2023)

Representation of women varies by creative occupation, ranging from low- to mid-50% levels across surveyed roles.

56.8% of craft artists in the United States reported being women in 202356.8%
56.4% of U.S. computer and mathematical occupations were men in 2023; 43.6% were women (used as a proxy for creative-adj56.4%
55.4% of art directors in the United States reported being women in 202355.4%
52.0% of photographers in the United States reported being women in 202352%
49% of producers and directors in the United States reported being women in 202349%
34.2% of graphic designers reported being women in the United States (2023)34.2%
source-verifiedbls.gov2023
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Creative Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-creative-industry-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Creative Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-creative-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Creative Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-creative-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

11 sources cited across this report

  1. bls.gov
  2. catalyst.org
  3. spencerstuart.com
  4. riotintelligence.com
  5. writersguild.org
  6. creativeindustriesfederation.com
  7. assets.uscannenberg.org
  8. wpp.com
  9. axios.com
  10. haygroup.com
  11. artscouncil.org.uk