Data extracted in December 2024.
Planned article update: March 2026.
Highlights
Share of cultural enterprises in the total number of enterprises in industry, construction, and market services within national economies, 2022
This article presents 2022 statistics on enterprises active in the cultural sector. It forms part of the online publication Culture statistics. Eurostat compiles these data from two distinct sources: structural business statistics and business demography statistics.
Cultural enterprises in the EU: key indicators
In 2022, there were 2.03 million cultural enterprises in the EU, representing 6.3% of all businesses within the business economy. Over a quarter of the cultural enterprises in the EU were engaged in the creative, arts and entertainment activities (27.4%). Publishing (14.9%) and architecture (14.6%) accounted for the largest shares of the total value added generated by the EU’s cultural sector.
Table 1 highlights the cultural sector’s relative significance (as measured by its share within the business economy). Based on the number of businesses, the share was particularly high in the Netherlands (11.0%) and Sweden (10.8%). By contrast, cultural enterprises accounted for less than 5% of businesses in the business economies in 6 EU countries, with the lowest share in Bulgaria and Slovakia (both at 3.1%).
The highest value added generated by cultural enterprises as a share of the national business economy was in Cyprus (5.4%; enterprises under the NACE code 32.20 were not counted for reasons of confidentiality) and Finland (2.8%). The highest share in turnover for cultural enterprises was in Cyprus (5.4%), followed by France and Sweden (both at 1.8%).
Just over half of all cultural enterprises in the EU (51.5%) were located in 4 EU countries: France (17.5%), Italy (12.5%; enterprises under the NACE code 47.63 were not counted for reasons of confidentiality), the Netherlands (12.0%) and Spain (9.4%).
In 2022, Germany accounted for the highest proportion of value added generated by cultural enterprises in the EU (26.4% of the EU total), followed by France (17.4%) and Italy (11.5%). Together, these three countries accounted for 55.3% of the total value added generated. The same three countries also accounted for 53.9% of the EU cultural sector’s turnover.
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(%, share of EU total)
Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
Number of enterprises and value added by category of product
The various economic activities together form the total cultural aggregate, which provides a statistical picture of the enterprises within the cultural sector. These activities are grouped into the following broad headings:
- Printing and reproduction of recorded media; manufacture of musical instruments and jewellery
- Retail sale of cultural goods in specialised stores
- Publishing
- Motion picture and television, sound recording and music publishing; renting of video tapes and discs
- Programming and broadcasting; news agency activities
- Architectural activities
- Specialised design activities
- Photographic activities
- Translation and interpretation activities
- Cultural education
- Creative, arts and entertainment activities
- Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities
The economic activities listed under each broad heading are presented in Table 3 of the Coverage and data sources section.
In 2022, the highest number of cultural enterprises were involved in creative, arts and entertainment activities.
Of all cultural enterprises operating in the EU in 2022, the largest number was involved in creative, arts and entertainment activities (27.4%). In addition, two other broad headings accounted for a double-digit share of the total number of cultural enterprises (see Figure 2): architectural activities (16.5%) and specialised design activities (13.5%).
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(%)
Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
In 2022, though creative, arts, and entertainment was the biggest area in terms of the number of enterprises, Figure 3 shows that the highest value added was generated by:
- Publishing of books; newspapers; journals and periodicals; computer games (14.9%)
- Architectural activities (14.6%)
- Motion picture and television, sound recording and music publishing; renting of video tapes and discs (14.2%)
- Printing and reproduction of recorded media; manufacture of musical instruments and jewellery (13.5%).
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(%)
Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
Among all types of cultural activities, programming and broadcasting; news agency activities stood out for the economic value they generated in proportion to the number of enterprises. With just 0.4% of the total number of cultural enterprises, these activities generated 7.9% of the sector’s total value added in the EU (€15.8 billion).
By contrast, activities related to cultural education, which accounted for 3.8% of enterprises in the sector, generated 0.8% of the cultural sector’s total value added (€1.6 billion).
The data at country level show that in 2022, creative, arts and entertainment activities had the largest share of cultural enterprises in 16 EU countries, headed by Sweden, where 45.1% of all cultural enterprises were active in that field. Architectural activities constituted the largest group of business activities in the cultural sector in 9 EU countries, led by Belgium, where it accounted for 33.4% of all cultural enterprises. Cultural enterprises involved in specialised design activities were the most numerous in Croatia (22.8%) and Denmark (22.1%), see Figure 4.
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Figure 5 gives a similar national breakdown by broad headings based on value added generated. In 2022, in 15 EU countries, manufacturing-related cultural activities accounted for the largest share of value added (printing and reproduction of recorded media; manufacture of musical instruments and jewellery). The share was highest at 39.2% in Malta.
In 4 EU countries, led by Cyprus (75.7%), the highest value added within the cultural sector was generated by publishing activities (including books; newspapers; journals and periodicals; computer games). In Luxembourg (37.1%), Austria (24.9%) and Belgium (19.4%), the largest share was attributed to architectural activities. In France (20.7%) and Spain (16.4%) motion picture and television, music; renting of video tapes and discs activities accounted for the highest shares of value added; while in Denmark (21.3%) and the Netherlands (20.3%) the largest contributions came from creative, arts and entertainment activities.
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(%)
Source: Eurostat (sbs_ovw_act)
How big are the enterprises in the cultural sector?
Businesses employing fewer than 250 people, i.e. small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are essential to the EU economy and they tend to dominate in several branches of the EU’s cultural sector. Table 2 shows the indicators presented above further broken down by business size (defined by the number of people employed).
In 2022, SMEs employed most of the EU’s workers across the various economic activities relating to culture. The only exception was in programming and broadcasting, where two-thirds of people (67.3%) were employed by large companies. Furthermore, most EU workers in photographic activities (89.5%), specialised design activities (82.4%), creative, arts and entertainment activities (78.0%) and translation and interpretation activities (74.1%) were employed by micro enterprises (employing fewer than 10 people).
Additionally, in 2022 SMEs generated most of the EU cultural sector’s value added. This applies to all branches for which data were available, except programming and broadcasting activities.
Note: in this section, the aggregate used for cultural activities differs from that used above for the main series of structural business statistics (see Table 3 in the Coverage and data sources section of this article).
Source: Eurostat (sbs_sc_ovw)
Which cultural sectors see the most frequent business start-ups (and closures)?
Business demography statistics include indicators such as business birth and death rates. This information is used to analyse demographic trends, reflecting the dynamism with which economic structures adapt to changing market conditions (the definitions of the indicators analysed are available below in the Coverage and data sources section of the article).
For the purpose of analysing cultural activities, business demography statistics are only compiled for a small subset of activities within the service sector (see Table 3 for a complete list).
In the field of specialised design activities, about 1 in 6 enterprises were newly created in 2022.
Figure 6 provides a summary of enterprise birth and death rates for a selection of cultural activities, along with their corresponding employment shares. In 2022, the EU enterprise birth rate for services within the business economy was 10.7% (NACE Sections G to S, excluding Section O: public administration and defence; compulsory social security and Division 94: activities of membership organisations), indicating that for every 100 active enterprises, approximately 11 were newly established during the reference period. Out of 7 listed cultural activities, 4 reported an enterprise birth rate higher than the average for all services in the business economy. The highest enterprise birth rate was observed in specialised design activities (16.4%).
At the same time, the EU enterprise death rate for services in the business economy was 8.9%; according to provisional data, 1.8 percentage points lower than the enterprise birth rate. Furthermore, 4 of the 7 listed cultural activities reported enterprise death rates higher than the average for services in the business economy. Within the cultural sector, specialised design activities recorded the highest death rate (10.1%), and programming and broadcasting the lowest (6.0%).
In 2022, start-ups (newly established enterprises) employed 11.2% of all people in specialised design activities, which was more than 4 times the average employment share of new enterprises across the entire service sector in the EU (2.6%). Other culture-related activities where start-ups had significantly high employment shares included photographic activities (10.7%), creative, arts and entertainment activities (9.3%), and translation and interpretation activities (7.3%). However, economic activities with a high share of people employed in new enterprises also tended to have a high share of people employed in businesses that ceased operations. In 2022, at least 6% of people employed in each of the 4 cultural fields mentioned above were working in enterprises that closed.
Overall, the ratio of employment in start-ups to employment in businesses that ceased operations was highest for motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording, and music publishing activities, where 5.9% of people were employed in newly established enterprises, compared with 3.2% of people in businesses that closed. Conversely, in translation and interpretation activities, the share of employment in businesses that started operations was only slightly higher than in those that closed, while for libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural activities, the share of employment in newly established enterprises was lower than in those that closed.
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(%)
Source: Eurostat (bd_size)
In 2022, the employment share of start-ups in specialised design activities was at least twice as high as the average for all services in the business economy in every EU country, except for Spain and Greece. This relationship was most pronounced in France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany, where this share was more than 5 times higher than the average for all services in the business economy. The highest employment share in start-ups for specialised design activities was recorded in Portugal (18.0%), while the lowest was observed in Finland (3.6%).
The employment share for new enterprises in creative, arts and entertainment activities was at least twice as high as the average for services in the business economy in every EU country for which data are available (no figures are available for Slovenia), except for Greece. Luxembourg recorded the highest employment share among newly created businesses in creative, arts and entertainment activities (22.7%), while the lowest was observed in Austria (4.9%, see Figure 7).
(%, share of total employment for each activity)
Source: Eurostat (bd_size)
Source data for tables and graphs
Coverage and data sources
Comprehensive details of the NACE codes in this article are given in Table 3.
Source: Eurostat, Guide to Eurostat culture statistics, 2018 edition
Eurostat compiles data on cultural enterprises from 2 distinct sources:
Both statistics are restricted to market-oriented activities.
Note: the activity coverage of culture-related enterprises differs between structural business statistics and business demography statistics – see Table 3 for more details.
Structural business statistics
Structural business statistics cover industry, construction, trade and (market) services, as defined by the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE). This classification allows for a detailed sectoral breakdown of business activities. The information is available for a broad range of structural indicators (including data for the number of enterprises, the number of people employed, turnover and value added) and can also be broken down by business size. The version of NACE currently used in the European statistical system is NACE Rev. 2, implemented from 2008 onwards.
Structural business statistics describe the structure, conduct and performance of enterprises within the non-financial business economy (NACE Sections B to S, except public administration and defence, compulsory social security, and activities of membership organisations). Starting with the reference year 2021, structural business statistics are compiled under Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 and its implementing act, Regulation (EU) 2020/1197. The data presented for the cultural sector cover various economic activities classified under NACE Rev. 2 – see Table 3 for the composition of the total cultural sector aggregate and other aggregates describing the cultural sector in the main series of structural business statistics.
Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 extended the statistical coverage of business statistics, making available for the first time from reference year 2021 the following cultural activities:
- Division 90 Creative, arts, and entertainment activities
- Division 91 Libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural activities
- Class 85.52 Cultural education
Historical data remain accessible to users at Eurostat’s database under code cult_ent_h.
Within the context of structural business statistics, the following definitions apply:
- The enterprise as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 is the smallest combination of legal units that form an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy when making decisions, especially those on allocating its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or more activities at one or more locations. It may be a sole legal unit.
The term enterprise is used in this article to refer to the number of active enterprises.
- The number of active enterprises is the number of all statistical units which at any time during the reference period were enterprises, as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 696/93, and active during the same reference period. A statistical unit is considered to have been active during the reference period, if during that period it
- had a positive net turnover
- produced outputs
- had employees or
- carried out investments.
- The number of employees and self-employed persons (the number of persons employed) is the sum of the number of employees and number of self-employed persons. The number of employees represents the average number of people who were, at some time during the reference period, employees of the statistical unit. The number of self-employed persons is the average number of people who were at some time during the reference period the sole owners or joint owners of the statistical unit in which they work. Family workers and outworkers (people who work away from their employer’s premises) whose income is a function of the value of the outputs of the statistical unit are also included.
- Net turnover consists of all income arising during the reference period in the course of ordinary activities of the statistical unit, and is presented net of all price reductions, discounts and rebates granted by it.
- Excluded from net turnover are:
- - all taxes, duties or levies linked directly to revenue
- – any amounts collected on behalf of any principal, if the statistical unit is acting as an agent in its relationship with this principal
- - all income not arising in the course of ordinary activities that the statistical unit carries out. Usually, these types of income are classified as Other (operating) income, Financial income, Extra-ordinary income or under a similar heading, depending on the respective set of generally accepted accounting standards used to prepare the financial statements.
- Value added is a composite indicator of net operating income, adjusted for depreciation, amortisation and employee benefits, all components being recognised as such by the statistical unit during the reference period. Its value is given by the formula:
- - net turnover (+)
- - income from product- or turnover-related subsidies (+)
- - capitalized output (+)
- - change in stock of goods (±)
- - total purchases of goods and services (-)
- Alternatively, it can be calculated from the gross operating surplus by adding personnel costs.
Structural business statistics may be broken down by the following business size-classes for analytical purposes.
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employing 1 to 249 people, composed of:
- micro enterprises with fewer than 10 people employed
- small enterprises with 10 to 49 people employed
- medium-sized enterprises with 50 to 249 people employed.
They should also have an annual turnover of up to €50 million, or a balance sheet total of no more than €43 million.
- Large enterprises with 250 or more people employed.
Business demography statistics
Business demography statistics cover information for business births and deaths, as well as indicators relating to survival rates or the impact that newly founded enterprises have on employment. These statistics are usually drawn from business registers, although some EU Member States seek to increase data availability by integrating alternative sources.
Within the context of business demography statistics, the following definitions are applied:
- An active enterprise - an enterprise is considered to have been active if, in the period concerned, it
- had a positive net turnover
- produced outputs
- had employees
- carried out investments.
- An enterprise birth refers to a count of newly established enterprises registered in the relevant population in the business register, adjusted for errors. An enterprise birth amounts to the creation of a combination of production factors with the restriction that no other enterprises are involved in the event. These births do not include entries into the population due to mergers, break-ups, split-offs or the restructuring of a set of enterprises. It does not include entries into a sub-population that result only from a change of activity.
- The enterprise birth rate for a given reference period (usually one calendar year) is defined as the number of enterprise births, expressed as a percentage of the total number of active enterprises.
- An enterprise death refers to a count of the number of deaths of enterprises registered in the population concerned in the business register corrected for errors. An enterprise death amounts to the dissolution of a combination of production factors with the restriction that no other enterprises are involved in the event. These deaths do not include exits from the population due to mergers, takeovers, break-ups or the restructuring of a set of enterprises. It does not include exits from a sub-population that result only from a change of activity.
- The enterprise death rate for a given reference period (usually one calendar year) is defined as the number of enterprise deaths, expressed as a percentage of the total number of active enterprises.
Context
Culture is one of Europe's greatest assets: it is a source of values, identity and a sense of belonging. It also contributes to well-being, social cohesion and inclusion. The cultural and creative sectors provide a stimulus for economic growth, job creation and international trade.
In accordance with Article 167 of the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU is obliged to contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing the common heritage to the fore.
The EU supports these objectives through the Creative Europe programme and a number of policy actions set out in the work plan for culture (2023-2026). The work plan, adopted by EU culture ministers in December 2022, sets out 4 main priorities for European cooperation in cultural policymaking:
- Artists and cultural professionals: empowering the cultural and creative sectors.
- Culture for the people: enhancing cultural participation and the role of culture in society.
- Culture for the planet: unleashing the power of culture.
- Culture for co-creative partnerships: strengthening the cultural dimension of EU external relations.
The production of reliable, comparable and up-to-date cultural statistics, which provide a basis for sound cultural policymaking, is a cross-sectoral priority for the European Commission. Eurostat compiles culture statistics from several different data collections to provide policymakers and other users of statistics with information on the main developments in the field of culture, covering issues such as education, employment, business, international trade, participation patterns and consumption patterns.
Explore further
Other articles
- Culture (articles on culture statistics)
- Structural business statistics overview
- Business demography statistics
- Sport (articles on sport statistics)
Database
- Culture statistics, see:
- - enterprises in cultural sectors (cult_ent)
- - enterprises by detailed NACE Rev.2 activity and special aggregates (sbs_ovw_act)
- - enterprise statistics by size class and NACE Rev.2 activity (from 2021 onwards) (sbs_sc_ovw)
- - business demography by size class and NACE Rev. 2 activity (bd_size)
- - enterprises in cultural sector – historical data (cult_ent_h)
Thematic section
Publications
Selected datasets
Methodology
- Guide to Eurostat culture statistics — 2018 edition
- European statistical system network on culture (ESSnet-Culture final report (2012))
- European Business Statistics Methodological Manual for Structural Business Statistics – 2024 edition
- Enterprises in cultural sectors (reference metadata — cult_ent)
- Structural business statistics (reference metadata — sbs)
- Business demography (reference metadata — bd)
External links
Legislation
- Structural Business Statistics
- Business demography
- Regulation (EU) No 2021/818 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing the Creative Europe Programme (2021 to 2027) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1295/2013
- European Council Work Plan for Culture (2023-2026)
- Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a European agenda for culture in a globalising world (COM(2007) 242)