About

These Economic Estimates are accredited official statistics used to provide an estimate of the contribution of DCMS sectors to the UK economy, measured by GVA (gross value added). This release includes annual estimates for 2010 to 2022, and provisional annual estimates for 2023.

This year, we have seen substantial revisions to GVA estimates for DCMS sectors to previously published data to 2022. This is due to revisions made by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to the underlying data which these estimates are based on. GVA estimates are subject to scheduled revisions as more and higher quality data becomes available, and more information about this is available in the ONS article on https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/uksectoraccounts/articles/gdprevisionsinbluebook2020/2024" class="govuk-link">GDP revisions in Blue Book: 2024. Further information of the impact of these revisions on DCMS sector GVA is available in the technical report above.

This is the full release and report of our Annual GVA publication, updating the tables-only release published on 19 December 2024 that was brought forward following the impact of scheduled ONS revisions in the National Accounts Blue Book 2024 on GVA estimates for DCMS sectors. This release includes new estimates for tourism and DCMS overall, and a report on the latest estimates.

There are limitations when comparing tourism GVA estimates over time. Estimates of tourism GVA from 2016 to 2021 are based on unrevised data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Tourism Satellite Account (TSA). The ONS does not make revisions to TSA estimates, however the underlying source data including GVA estimates, may be revised in future years. There are also differences in the data sources used for each TSA, which are outlined in the notes section of each https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/satelliteaccounts/datasets/uktourismsatelliteaccounttsatables" class="govuk-link">individual TSA published by the ONS. Further information is available in the report and in the technical report.

Content

DCMS sectors

These statistics cover the contributions of the following DCMS sectors to the UK economy;

• civil society
• creative industries
• cultural sector
• gambling
• sport
• tourism

Users should note that there is overlap between DCMS sector definitions and that several cultural sector industries are simultaneously creative industries.

The release also includes estimates for the audio visual sector and computer games subsector.

We have separately published ad hoc statistics for the art and antiques market. Annual GVA estimates for the art and antiques market have been published here alongside economic estimates on employment and trade.

Headline findings:

Provisional 2023 estimates show that:

• GVA in DCMS sectors was estimated to be £220.3 billion, contributing 9.3% to UK GVA.
• GVA in the DCMS sectors increased by an estimated 0.1% compared to 2022, while the UK as a whole grew by 0.3%.
• The slight growth in DCMS sector GVA from 2022 to 2023 was driven by the tourism sector (+8.5%); there was also growth from 2022 to 2023 in the sport sector (+2.2%) and in civil society (+2.3%). There was a drop in GVA from 2022 to 2023 in the other DCMS sectors: creative industries (-3.3%), cultural sector (-1.8%) and gambling sector (-4.5%).
• Compared to pre-pandemic (2019), DCMS sector GVA fell by an estimated 9.0%, compared to 2.6% growth for the UK economy as a whole. This drop was driven by tourism, which remained 30.2% lower than 2019 in 2023. If the tourism sector is excluded, DCMS sector GVA grew by an estimated 0.8% from 2019 to 2023.
• Compared with 2016, DCMS sector GVA fell by an estimated 2.0%, while the UK economy as a whole grew by 8.7%. This fall was driven by the tourism sector, which was particularly affected by the pandemic and decreased by an estimated 21.9% between 2016 and 2023. If the tourism sector is excluded, DCMS sector GVA grew by an estimated 6.7% from 2016 to 2023.
• Between 2010 and 2023, DCMS sectors (excluding tourism due to data availability) grew at a faster rate than the UK economy as a whole (32.3% compared to 22.3%). This was driven mostly by the creative industries which increased by 35.4% over this time.

This year, we have seen substantial revisions to GVA estimates for DCMS sectors to previously published data to 2022.

Further information about these revisions, including how the latest 2022 figures comp

About

These Economic Estimates are National Statistics used to provide an estimate of the contribution of DCMS sectors to the UK economy, measured by GVA (gross value added), and separately for the digital sector.

This is the first release of annual estimates for 2021, and provisional annual estimates for 2022.

Content

DCMS sectors

These statistics cover the contributions of the following DCMS sectors to the UK economy;

• civil society
• creative industries
• cultural sector
• gambling
• sport
• tourism

Users should note that there is overlap between DCMS sector definitions and that several cultural sector industries are simultaneously creative industries.

The release also includes estimates for the audio visual sector and computer games subsector.

Headline findings:

In 2022, provisional estimates show that included DCMS sectors (excluding tourism due to data lags) contributed £169.4 billion to the UK economy. This was 7.7% of total UK GVA, compared to 7.2% in 2019.

Digital sector:

These statistics also cover the contributions of the following digital sectors to the UK economy

• digital sector
• telecoms

Users should note that there is overlap between these two sectors’ definitions. Specifically: the telecoms sector sits wholly within the digital sector.

The release also includes estimates for the audio visual sector and computer games subsector.

Headline findings:

In 2022, provisional estimates show that the digital sector contributed £158.3 billion to the UK economy. This was 7.2% of total UK GVA, compared to 7.1% in 2021 (measured in current prices).

A definition for each sector is available in the tables published alongside this release. Further information on all these sectors is available in the associated technical report along with details of methods and data limitations.

Released

First published on 15 February 2024.

Feedback and consultation

DCMS aims to continuously improve the quality of estimates and better meet user needs. Feedback and responses should be sent to DCMS via email at evidence@dcms.gov.uk.

Office for Statistics Regulation

These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in June 2019. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/" class="govuk-link">Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled accredited official statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the OSR. OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards by emailing evidence@dcms.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

The responsible analyst for this release is Rachel Moyce. For further details about the estimates, or to be added to a distribution list for future updates

Headline Findings

In the period October 2019 to September 2020, there were 5.5 million jobs in DCMS sectors, accounting for 16.4% of all UK jobs.

The Creative Industries had the most jobs with 2.2 million. This is followed by the Digital Sector (1.7 million) and Civil Society (984,000). The sector with the fewest jobs is Gambling at 73,000.

The provisional estimates suggest that there were just under 1.6 million jobs in the Tourism sector. Tourism employment estimates are calculated using provisional estimates in the latest (2018) Tourism Satellite Account (TSA). This is a different methodology to the other sectors.

Socio-economic background

In parallel to this set of employment estimates, we have published some statistics on socio-economic background, using the Labour Force Survey (LFS). These are available to download as an ad hoc publication.

About

These Economic Estimates are Official Statistics used to provide an estimate of employment (number of filled jobs) in the DCMS Sectors, for the period October 2019 to September 2020. The findings are calculated based on the ONS Annual Population Survey (APS).

Content

These statistics cover the contributions of the following DCMS sectors to the UK economy;

• Civil Society
• Creative Industries
• Cultural Sector
• Digital Sector
• Gambling
• Sport
• Telecoms
• Tourism

The UK Statistics Authority

This release is published in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics (2018) produced by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA). The UKSA has the overall objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good. It monitors and reports on all official statistics, and promotes good practice in this area.

Contact

Responsible statistician: Edward Wilkinson

For any queries or feedback, please contact evidence@dcms.gov.uk.