Accredited official statistics

DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates Gross Value Added 2022 (provisional)

Updated 27 November 2024

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1. Introduction

Release date: 15 February 2024

Next release: Winter 2024/25

Geographic coverage: United Kingdom

Time coverage: 2010 to 2022

Responsible analyst: Rachel Moyce

This release provides estimates of the contribution of DCMS sectors to the UK economy from 2010 to 2021, and provisionally for 2022, measured by gross value added (GVA). Estimates for 2020 and 2021 are affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Suitable data for 2022 is not currently available for the tourism sector, so provisional 2022 estimates exclude tourism and 2021 is the most recent year for which totals are available for all of DCMS sectors. The ONS would usually publish a Nowcast table for the latest year in the Tourism Satellite Account (this would have been for 2022 in the most recent 2021 TSA). Given the unusual pattern of tourism in 2021 the Nowcast 2022 table is not available, as it is heavily based on the previous years trends and the trends seen in 2021 were deemed too exceptional.

We use current prices to report current sector estimates and chained volume measures for any comparisons over time.

The digital sector is no longer included in these statistics, as responsibility for this sector now lies with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Estimates of digital sector GVA are published separately alongside the DCMS estimates

DCMS also publishes a monthly GVA series, starting in January 2019 and measured in 2022 prices, which is more timely (two to five months lag, as publication is quarterly) but less accurate than this series and can be used as a leading indicator.

2. Headline Findings

Provisional annual GVA estimates suggest that included DCMS sectors grew faster than the UK economy in 2022. Estimates for tourism are only available to 2021, and as tourism GVA fell very significantly from 2019 (during the pandemic), total DCMS GVA in 2021 was lower than it was before the pandemic.

Figure 1. Comparison of GVA in DCMS sectors for selected years, as a proportion of the whole UK economy (current prices)

3. GVA in DCMS sectors (to 2022, excluding tourism)

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.

The following information is worth noting:

  • The figures above are measured in current prices.
  • Subsequent comparisons over time use chained volume measures which means percentage changes are adjusted for inflation, except where stated.
  • Estimates for 2022 are provisional and subject to change when the National Accounts are published later in 2024.
  • Suitable data for 2022 is not currently available for the tourism sector, therefore, 2021 is the latest year for which a total is available for all DCMS sectors

In 2022, for included DCMS sectors (excluding tourism) GVA grew to £169.4bn, an increase of 7.0% from 2021. All included sectors grew from 2021 to 2022, with the main contribution to DCMS growth being from creative industries, the largest included sector by GVA.

From 2019 to 2022, DCMS sectors (excluding tourism) GVA grew by 12.7%, despite falling between 2019 and 2020 during the pandemic. The main contribution to this growth came from the creative industries, the largest included sector.

The findings observed in 2020 and 2021 are not typical when compared to the trends observed before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The key longer term trends for included DCMS sectors are:

  • From 2010 to 2019 (the last full year prior to the pandemic), DCMS sectors (excluding tourism) outgrew the UK economy (33.9% vs 19.2%). This was mostly driven by the creative industries, which increased by 34.0% and is the largest included DCMS sector.
  • From 2010 to 2022, DCMS sectors (excluding tourism) outgrew the UK economy (50.9% vs 21.5%). This was again driven mostly by the creative industries which increased by 50.3% over this time.

4. GVA in All DCMS sectors (to 2021, including tourism)

In 2021, DCMS sectors contributed £168.4 billion to the UK economy. This was 8.2% of total UK GVA, compared to 8.5% in 2020.

In 2021, DCMS sectors contributed 8.2% to UK GVA, a decrease from 10.6% in 2019. This reflects that DCMS sector GVA fell by 20.1% from 2019 to 2021, compared to a fall of 2.4% for the UK economy as a whole.

This trend is particularly driven by a fall in the Tourism sector of 76.3%. The Tourism sector is traditionally one of DCMS’s largest sectors and was especially affected by Covid-19. However, the pandemic’s impact was felt elsewhere too, as all DCMS sectors experienced falls from 2019 to 2020, and overall from 2019 to 2021 for some sectors.

The findings observed in 2020 and 2021 are not typical when compared to the trends observed before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Data for the tourism sector is available from 2016 (rather than 2010, as is the case for other DCMS sectors, due to methodological changes). Between 2016 and 2019: 

  • DCMS sectors outgrew the UK economy (7.8% vs 5.9%). The data suggests that this was mostly driven by the tourism sector (9.7% growth and the second largest sector in this period).

5. GVA in individual DCMS sectors

5.1 Sector overlap

Some industries are found within multiple sectors and are likely to drive trends in the same way for both sectors. 

For example, in 2021:

  • 66.9% of the DCMS Sector GVA is within the creative industries
  • 18.2% of DCMS Sector GVA is within the cultural sector
  • However, 17.6% of DCMS Sector GVA is within both the Creative Industries and the cultural sector. This illustrates that the cultural sector is almost fully contained within the creative industries (but not vice versa) and these overlaps include activities such as performing arts and radio and television broadcasting. 

When calculating the DCMS Sector total, the GVA from industries within the overlap is counted once. Users should be aware that the estimate for ‘All DCMS sectors’ is therefore lower than the sum of the individual sectors.

Figure 2. GVA and overlaps in DCMS sectors, 2021

For more information, Chapter 2 of the technical report visually outlines the overlap between SIC codes in DCMS sectors, but not the value of GVA within these overlaps.

5.2 Sector findings

In 2021, of all DCMS sectors including tourism, the creative industries sector contributed the most in GVA to the UK economy (£112.6bn), followed by the overlapping cultural sector (£30.6bn).

In 2022, of the included DCMS sectors excluding tourism, the creative industries remained the largest sector (£124.6bn), again followed by the cultural sector (£34.6bn).

For comparison, in 2019, the creative industries were the largest subsector (£105.8bn), followed by tourism (£73.6bn).

All DCMS sectors apart from tourism grew in 2021, following falls in 2020 during the pandemic. From 2021 to 2022, all sectors for which data is available continued to grow. In 2022, all included DCMS sectors apart from gambling, were larger in GVA terms than in 2010.

5.3 Civil Society

Civil Society contributed £22.3bn in 2022, accounting for 1.0% of the UK economy. Civil society GVA grew by 9.8% from 2021 to 2022, and was 121.1% higher than in 2010, in real terms.

Figure 3. Index chart (2010=100), in chained volume measures (CVM) showing growth of civil society, from 2010 to 2022.

These estimates are based on the non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) data. This is likely to be an underestimate for the Civil Society sector as it does not encompass the full spectrum of the sector. Further information on the Civil Society definition can be found in the technical report. 

Note that volunteering, a key element of Civil Society, has not been included in the figures due to being part of the informal economy. As estimated in the ONS published Household Satellite Account, volunteering contributed £24bn in 2016, the last available year (this includes only formal volunteering activities). 

5.4 Creative Industries

The creative industries contributed £124.6bn in 2022, accounting for 5.7% of UK GVA. The GVA of creative industries grew by 6.8% between 2021 and 2022 leaving it 12.2% higher than pre-pandemic (2019) and 50.3% higher than in 2010, in real terms.

Figure 4. Index chart (2010=100), in chained volume measures (CVM) showing growth of creative industries, from 2010 to 2022.

Creative Industries GVA grew faster than the UK economy both from 2021 to 2022 (9.8% vs 4.4%), and in the longer term from 2010 to 2022 (50.3% vs 21.5%).

DCMS has grouped the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes defining the creative industries into nine distinct subsectors, grouped by policy themes. Looking at these subsectors: 

  • The largest contributions to the increase in creative Industries GVA from 2021 to 2022 were the ‘IT, software and computer services’ subsector, the ‘Publishing’ subsector and the ‘Film, TV, video, radio and photography’ subsector, which grew by 7.3%, 10.1% and 5.4% respectively. 
  • All creative industries subsectors GVA grew from 2021 to 2022, apart from the crafts subsector, which fell by 6.8%,
  • ‘IT, software and computer services’ is the largest subsector component of the Creative Industries by GVA (£53.4bn in 2022). It is more than twice the size of the next largest subsector ‘Film, TV, video, radio and photography’ at £20.8bn in 2022.

5.5 Cultural Sector

The cultural sector contributed £34.6bn in 2022, accounting for 1.6% of UK GVA. GVA of the cultural sector grew by 6.4% from 2021 to 2022, leaving it 3.0% higher than pre-pandemic (2019) and 19.2% larger in 2022 than in 2010 in real terms.

Figure 5. Index chart (2010=100), in chained volume measures (CVM) showing growth of the cultural sector, from 2010 to 2022.

Cultural sector GVA grew faster than the UK economy from 2021 to 2022 (6.4% vs 4.4%) but slower in the longer term from 2010 to 2022 (19.2% vs 21.5%). 

DCMS has grouped the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes defining the cultural sector into nine distinct subsectors, grouped by policy themes. Looking at these subsectors: 

  • All subsectors apart from ‘crafts’ grew from 2021 to 2022. 
  • The largest contributions to the growth in cultural sector GVA were from the ‘Film, TV and Music’ subsector and the ‘Arts’ subsector. They grew by 4.0% and 6.2% respectively. 
  • The ‘Film, TV and Music’ subsector remains the largest cultural subsector in size economically, contributing £20.4bn to the UK economy in 2022.

5.6 Gambling

Gambling contributed £4.9bn in 2022, accounting for 0.2% of UK GVA. The GVA of the Gambling sector grew by 15.2% between 2021 and 2022, in real terms, but was 6.5% smaller in 2022 than pre-pandemic (2019) and 1.9% smaller in size in 2022 than in 2010, in real terms.

Figure 6. Index chart (2010=100), in chained volume measures (CVM) showing growth of the gambling sector, from 2010 to 2022.

The gambling sector grew faster than the UK economy from 2021 to 2022 (15.2% vs 4.4%), but decreased in the longer term from 2010 to 2022 (-1.9%) compared to the increasing GVA of the UK economy (21.5%).  

It should be noted that the gambling sector is small, comprising just one two-digit SIC code (SIC 92). Consequently, estimates are prone to sampling variability from year to year (the sector GVA estimates peaked in 2014).

5.7 Sport

Sport contributed £18.1bn in 2022, accounting for 0.8% of UK GVA. The GVA of the sport sector grew by 1.3% between 2021 and 2022, leaving it 2.4% smaller in 2022 than pre-pandemic (2019) but 32.2% larger in size in 2022 than it was in 2010, in real terms.

Figure 7. Index chart (2010=100), in chained volume measures (CVM) showing growth of the sport sector, from 2010 to 2022.

The sport sector grew more slowly than the UK economy from 2021 to 2022 (1.3% vs 4.4%), but over the longer term, from 2010 to 2022, grew at a faster rate (32.2% vs 21.5%).

5.8 Tourism

Tourism contributed £15.9bn in 2021, accounting for 0.8% of UK GVA. Tourism GVA fell by by 7.0% from 2020 to 2021, leaving it 74.0% smaller in 2021 than it was in 2016 (in real terms), the first available year for the sector with comparable methodology to later years.

Figure 8. Index chart (2016=100), in chained volume measures (CVM) showing growth of the tourism sector, from 2016 to 2021.

The tourism sector grew by 9.7% between 2016 and 2019, peaking at £67.5bn (in 2022 prices) and second largest among DCMS sectors. The increase in tourism GVA accounted for 37.9% of the overall DCMS increase in GVA between 2016 and 2019. 

Tourism sector GVA fell by 74.5% from 2019 to 2020, then by 7.0% from 2020 to 2021, leaving it less than a quarter of the size in 2021 than it was in 2019, prior to the pandemic. As mentioned previously, tourism economic activity was particularly affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The data from the UK Tourism Satellite Account suggests that the difference between 2019 and 2021 broadly results from both falls in the industry totals and falls in the ratios (the % of those industry totals directly attributed to tourism). These figures align with trends seen in other data sources, such as ONS Travel Trends and ONS Overseas Travel and Tourism statistics.

Figures for the tourism sector are only available from 2016, the first available year for the sector with comparable methodology to later years.

Tourism also differs from other sectors in that it uses a satellite account approach that attempts to calculate the percentage of economic activity, across all UK sectors, that is directly attributable to tourism. Estimates for 2022 for tourism GVA are not yet available due to data lags in the satellite account.

6. Further information

GVA is a measure of the increase in the value of the economy due to the production of goods and services. Its relationship to GDP is as follows:

GVA = GDP + Subsidies - Taxes

GVA is measured either at:

  • current basic prices (‘nominal GVA’), which give the best ‘instantaneous’ measure of the value to the economy, but are not adjusted for the effect of inflation.
  • chained volume measures (‘real terms GVA’), where the effect of inflation is removed.

The accompanying data tables consist of current prices and chained volume measures for DCMS sectors and subsectors from 2010 to 2022, and a GVA index expressed in chained volume measures.

We use current prices to report current sector estimates and chained volume measures for any comparisons over time.

The DCMS sectors covered in this report are:

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

Following changes announced in February 2023, figures for the digital sector and telecoms are presented separately, as responsibility for these policy areas now sits with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Methodological information on the sector definitions, data sources, derivation of GVA and limitations of the approach can now be found in the accompanying technical report, along with. a summary of alternative economic measures of these sectors that are published elsewhere.

These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in June 2019. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the 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.

The next update to these statistics will be released in winter 2024/25 once the National Accounts have been published. The GVA figures in this report will all be revised in the next annual updates.

DCMS has developed a suite of economic estimates to understand the economic impact its sectors have on the UK economy. In combination with other economic indicators, GVA estimates help build a comprehensive picture of the UK economy, and of the DCMS Sectors’ importance within it.

The responsible statistician for this release is Rachel Moyce. For enquiries on this release, please email evidence@dcms.gov.uk.

For general enquiries contact: Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 100 Parliament Street, London, SW1A 2BQ. For media enquiries contact: 020 7211 2210.

DCMS statisticians can also be followed on X via @DCMSInsight.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (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. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

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