The study, covering data from over 120 countries, emphasizes that without updating cultural policy, inequality among content creators will continue to grow.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Anani noted that this report, which has served as an international benchmark for over a decade, offers a "roadmap of more than 8,100 measures" to support cultural practitioners in the context of rapid technological advancement.
A Growing but Vulnerable Industry
Despite the fact that cultural and creative industries are becoming key drivers of economic growth and sustainable development, their infrastructure remains fragile. According to the report, 85% of countries include culture in their national development plans, yet only 56% of them have specific goals in this area, indicating a gap between stated intentions and actual actions.In 2023, global trade in cultural goods doubled, reaching $254 billion, with nearly half of this export coming from developing countries.
However, government funding for culture remains critically low at less than 0.6% of global GDP and continues to decline. Limited mobility for artists also creates obstacles: developed countries support the departure of their creative professionals in 96% of cases, yet only facilitate the entry of cultural practitioners from developing countries in 38% of cases.
Digital Inequalities and Economic Instability
The report highlights significant structural changes caused by digitalization. The share of digital income in the overall earnings of creators has increased from 17% in 2018 to 35% currently, but this has also led to increased income instability and risks of copyright infringement. The most alarming forecasts concern the impact of generative AI: by 2028, music authors could face losses of up to 24% of their income, while audiovisual content creators could lose up to 21%.The gap in digital skills between developed and developing countries remains significant: 67% of the population in developed countries possess basic skills, compared to only 28% in developing countries. The concentration of the market around a few major streaming platforms and opaque recommendation algorithms further exacerbate the situation for lesser-known authors. At the same time, only 48% of countries collect data on this issue, making it difficult to create effective policy.
Creative Freedom Under Threat
UNESCO also notes an increase in threats to artistic freedom. Only 61% of countries have independent mechanisms for monitoring violations in this area. Political instability, conflicts, and forced displacement increase risks for cultural workers. New challenges are also posed by digital surveillance and algorithmic bias.Gender Inequality in Culture
Although there has been progress in increasing the representation of women in leadership positions in cultural institutions—from 31% in 2017 to 46% in 2024—the gap between countries remains significant. In developed countries, women hold 64% of leadership positions, while in developing countries, they hold only 30%.In many countries, women are still primarily viewed as consumers of culture rather than as creators and leaders.Photo on the homepage is illustrative: Unsplash/C. Johnson.
