Two new reports highlight significant economic growth in arts and culture

At the weekend two independent reports were published by Arts Council England highlighting significant economic growth in arts and culture.

The first report Contribution of the arts and culture industry to the UK economy is an update of the Centre for Economics and Business Research’s (Cebr) 2015 study.

The report includes new figures that show:

• The arts and culture industry has grown 10% in a year, and now contributes £8.5bn to the UK economy - more than double that of the Premier League.
• There were £5.2bn exports of arts and culture goods and services in 2013, more than 3 times that of UK film sector. With 84% going outside the EU.
• Culture pays £2.6bn in taxes, £5 for every £1 of public funding.

The full report can be read here.

The second report Exploring the role of arts and culture in the creative industries uses case studies to examine how arts and culture link with the creative industries. The research by SDG suggests the economic impact of arts and culture could be even greater, for example architects such as Hawkins\Brown often commission artists at concept and design stages to create an identity for buildings and spaces. The full report can be read here.