DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates: Monthly GVA (to March 2021)
Official Statistics used to provide an estimate of the contribution of DCMS Sectors to the UK economy, measured by GVA (gross value added).
Documents
Details
Headline findings
Estimated monthly GVA of DCMS sectors (excluding Civil Society) grew by 1.7% month-on-month in March 2021 in real terms. This remains 14% below February 2020 levels, which was the most recent month not affected by pandemic-related restrictions in the UK. In comparison, GVA for the UK economy as a whole grew by 2.1% in March 2021, remaining 6% below February 2020 levels.
Released
27 May 2021. The next release will be in August 2021 (provisional).
About this release
These Economic Estimates are Official Statistics used to provide an estimate of the economic contribution of DCMS Sectors in terms of gross value added (GVA), for the period January 2019 to March 2021.
Provisional monthly GVA in 2019 and 2020 was first published in March 2021 as an ad hoc statistical release. This current release contains new figures for January to March 2021 and revised estimates for previous months.
Estimates are in chained volume measures (i.e. have been adjusted for inflation) and are seasonally adjusted.
These timely estimates should only be used to illustrate general trends, rather than be taken as definitive figures. These figures will not be as accurate as our annual National Statistics release of gross value added for DCMS sectors (which will be published in Winter 2021).
You can use these estimates to:
- Look at relative indicative changes in GVA over time for DCMS sectors and subsectors
You should not use these estimates to:
- Quantify GVA for a specific month
- Measure absolute change in GVA over time
- Determine changes in GVA for the latest months (which are subject to more uncertainty than usual)
- Determine findings for DCMS sectors that are defined using more detailed industrial classes (due to the data sources only being available at broader industry levels)
Data sources
The findings are calculated based on published ONS data sources including the Index of Services and Index of Production.
These data sources provide an estimate of the monthly change in GVA for all UK industries. However, the data is only available for broader industry groups, whereas DCMS sectors are defined at a more detailed industrial level. For example, GVA for ‘Cultural education’ is estimated based on the trend for all education. Sectors such as ‘Cultural education’ may have been affected differently by COVID-19 compared to education in general. These estimates are also based on the composition of the economy in 2018. Overall, this means the accuracy of monthly GVA for DCMS sectors is likely to be lower for months in 2020.
The technical guidance contains further information about data sources, methodology, and the validation and accuracy of these estimates.
Revisions
Figures are provisional and subject to revision on a monthly basis when the ONS Index of Services and Index of Production are updated. Figures for the latest month will be highly uncertain.
The impact of these revisions is highlighted in the following example; the first estimate of Cultural Sector GVA for October 2020 was £2.2 billion. This has since been revised to £2.5 billion, which is a 15% increase in revised GVA.
Content
These statistics cover the contributions of the following DCMS sectors to the UK economy;
- Creative Industries
- Cultural Sector
- Digital Sector
- Gambling
- Sport
- Telecoms
- Tourism
Users should note that there is overlap between DCMS sector definitions and that the Telecoms sector sits wholly within the Digital sector.
Timely estimates of Civil Society GVA are not available at present.
Feedback and consultation
DCMS aims to continuously improve the quality of estimates and better meet user needs. DCMS welcomes feedback on this release. Feedback should be sent to DCMS via email at evidence@dcms.gov.uk.
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.
Pre-release access
The accompanying pre-release access document lists ministers and officials who have received privileged early access to this release. In line with best practice, the list has been kept to a minimum and those given access for briefing purposes had a maximum of 24 hours.
Contact
Responsible statistician: Emma Scholey
For any queries or feedback, please contact evidence@dcms.gov.uk.