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Economy in the cultural field

How much is the gross value added in the cultural and creative industries, and how much money does the public sector pay out for cultural purposes? This page gathers statistics about payments and economic activity, which may be grouped by different factors, such as cultural domains.

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Selected statistics on Economy in the cultural field

This page shows selected popular statistics on the subject of Economy in the cultural field. In Statbank Denmark, you can find more data and compile your own statistics.

Cultural and creative industries in the national accounts

The figure shows the development in the total production, export and gross value added in the cultural and creative industries.
More about the figure
Last update
8.10.2025
Next update
23.9.2026
Source data

The statistics are based on a variety of different sources. The ultimate goal is to quantify the share of the cultural and creative industries in already established national accounting concepts, with the starting point being the National Accounts and Input-Output.

To calculate the shares of the activities of the cultural and creative industries within the national accounts' industries, several different primary statistics are used. These are based on 6-digit activity codes from the Danish Industrial Classification 2007, where the first four digits refer to NACE rev. 2. These statistics are used to create several keys.

To assess how much of the underlying activities within the cultural and creative industries contribute to the overall 117 Industry classification in the Danish National Accounts, The General Enterprise Statistics (GF) is used, with turnover data serving as weights for production and gross value added (GVA).

Similarly, the annual work units for employment in the General Enterprise Statistics (GF) are used as weights to calculate the number of employees and full-time employees in the cultural and creative industries. The source for the annual work units in the General Enterprise Statistics comes from the frozen annual versions in the Business Statistics Register (ESR), which records business employment based on income data from Statistics Denmark's eIncome Register.

For import and export, corresponding weights are derived based on data from foreign trade in goods and services.

Public cultural funding

The figure shows the distribution of public funding by the central government and municipalities by cultural domains.
More about the figure
Last update
14.8.2025
Next update
25.8.2026
Source data

State funding data is derived from the following sources:

  • National Budget § 21. Ministry of Culture
  • National Budget § 07.18. Lotto Funds
  • National Budget § 19.38. Tertiary Artistic Educations
  • The annual budget record on allocation of Lotto Funds for cultural purposes.
  • The annual budget record on allocation of Lotto Funds for other sports purposes. (2024-)
  • The annual budget record on determination of the Media License Fees.

Municipal funding data is derived from:

Financing Source indicates from where the grant is awarded:

  • National Budget: National Budget § 21: The Ministry of Culture. National Budget § 19: The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education. National Budget § 19.38: Tertiary Artistic Educations (from 2012).
  • Lotto Funds: National Budget § 07.18. 'Lotto Funds' and the annual Supplementary Funds Record on the allocation of Lotto Funds for culture and for other sports' purposes.
  • License Fee - Public Service Broadcasting: Media License Fee paid by everyone who owns a device that can receive electronic images.
  • Municipalities: Municipality budgets. State reimbursement is deducted from the operating budget. General Libraries (3.32.50), Museums (3.32.60), Cinemas (3.32.61), Theatres (3.32.62), Musical arrangements (3.32.63), Stadiums, Sports Facilities and Swimming Halls (0.32.31), and Other Leisure Facilities (0.32.35) are all included in the accounts with the full amounts. Regarding the grants Facilities Grant (3.38.74), Voluntary Involvement in Association Activities Regarding General Education (3.38.73), Leisure Activities not Included in the General Education Act (3.38.75) and Common Objectives (General Education and Leisure Activities Etc.) (3.38.70), only 75 pct. of the municipal funds were included from 2007 to 2011 as the estimated share of these activities pertaining to cultural (sports) issues. These grants are included in the accounts with the full amounts (sports and education) from 2012 and onwards. Because the general adults' education was added to the domain of the Ministry of Culture following an executive order instituted on the 3rd of October 2011, grants pertaining to General Education of Adults (3.38.72) has been included in the accounts from 2012 and onwards. Grants pertaining to Joint Purposes (3.45.83) were added from 2017 and onwards, with a pro rata distribution to the other cultural domains relevant to the municipalities.

Payments by the Ministry of Culture

The figure shows the geographical distribution of the payments by the Ministry of Culture. The geographical distribution of payments for state institutions can be considered nationwide or local according to the institutions' physical location. 

Payments by the Ministry of Culture by case coverage

State institutions - nationwide case coverageState institutions - local case coverage
Payments (DKK 1,000)
2023
All Denmark14,086,233.014,086,233.0
Region Hovedstaden1,527,651.93,620,930.4
Region Sjælland289,363.0366,789.0
Region Syddanmark665,107.7771,867.3
Region Midtjylland932,305.61,242,979.0
Region Nordjylland286,737.6305,100.1
More about the figure
Last update
8.10.2024
Next update
27.5.2026
Source data

The statistics is based on

  • National Budget § 21. Ministry of Culture
  • The annual budget records on allocation of Lotto Funds for the Ministry of Culture.

Furthermore, the statistics include the part of the the Lotto funds that are listed as an income in the National Budget belonging to the Ministry of Culture. The statistics is based on data for payments from the Ministry of Culture's administrative systems, financial systems, as well as from the Government Accounts. In the detailed tables, data from Statistics Denmark's databases of personal and company records are also used.

In addition to the data for payments from the Ministry of Culture's administrative systems, there is a separate report from the Danish Film Institute (DFI).

On the statistics – documentation, sources and method

Gain an overview of the purpose, contents and quality of the statistics. Learn about the data sources of the statistics, the contents of the statistics and how often they are published.

See the documentation of statistics to learn more:

Payments by the Ministry of Culture

The purpose of the statistics Payments by the Ministry of Culture is to provide a comprehensive overview of the magnitude, scope and distribution of payments by the Ministry of Culture for cultural purposes. Payments by the Ministry of Culture in combination with the statistics Public Funding for Cultural Purposes provide a detailed picture of state financing and support for cultural activities. The statistics cover the period from 2010 and onwards.

Public Funding for Cultural Purposes

The purpose of the statistics Public Funding for Cultural Purposes is to provide a comprehensive overview of public funding for cultural purposes by collecting all data on public cultural budgets. Previously, the statistics was compiled by the Ministry of Culture and results were disseminated through the publication Kulturpengene. The statistics describes the magnitude and categories of the public funds for cultural purposes and has been compiled in this form since 2007.

The importance of cultural and creative industries in the national economy

The purpose of the statistics on the economic importance of cultural and creative industries in the national economy is to show the significance of cultural and creative industries in the Danish economy, presented within a national accounting framework. Concepts from national accounts, such as production and gross value added (GVA), are linked to the classifications of cultural and creative industries. The aim is to reflect not only the direct activities within the cultural and creative industries but also the indirect activities taking place in other sectors that support them.

Need more data on Economy in the cultural field?

Go on searching on your own in Statbank Denmark. Find further details, for example on how public funding is distributed by cultural purposes on a more detailed level, or on the indirect effects of the cultural and creative industries on the national economy.

Contact

Isabel Maria dos Santos Cardoso
Phone: +45 61 50 11 61
Anders Yde Bentsen
Phone: +45 40 33 68 81