• Highlights

• Data from the IBGE structural surveys by company (Annual Survey of Industry – PIA Enterprise, Annual Survey of Trade – PAC and Annual Survey of Services – PAS), show that, from 2013 to 2023, the share of formally constituted companies (with CNPJ) of the cultural sector in the total of sectors studied rose from 8.0% to 8.6%.
• On the other hand, the share in net revenue fell from 7.7% to 5.6% of the total revenue, and, in value added (VA), the share decreased from 10.5% to 8.3% of the total covered by the manufacturing industry and selected trade and non-financial services companies. In 2023, the cultural sector had an estimated net revenue of R$910.6 billion and contributed to the national economy with a value added of R$387.9 billion.
• In the short term, there was stability in VA between 2021 and 2022 (both at 8.0%) and a growth trend in 2023 (8.3%).
• In 2022, the cultural sector represented 6.8% of companies, 4.2% of employed people and 3.5% of salaried employees, according to information from IBGE's Central Registry of Enterprises (CEMPRE), one of the study's sources.
• According to CEMPRE, the total salaries paid in the year were R$102.8 billion, or 4.5% of the wage bill, equivalent to an average monthly salary of R$4,658. This is 31.5% higher than the average salary (R$3,542).
• New information in the study, in 2022, 9.5% of MEIs (1.4 million) were in the cultural sector, with a strong concentration in activities related to advertising and also visual arts and crafts.
• In relation to people in cultural activities or jobs (formal or informal), in 2024, the cultural sector had 5.9 million people, the highest value in the time series of the Continuous PNAD started in 2014, equivalent to 5.8% of the total.
• In 2024, the Culture Price Index (IPCult) grew 2.8%, while the IPCA rose 4.8%. On average, between 2020 and 2024, the variation in the year of IPCult was 3.1%, against 5.9% of the IPCA.

From 2013 to 2023, the participation of companies from the cultural sector rose from 8.0% to 8.6%, considering the total number of sectors studied by the IBGE enterprise surveys. However, during the same period, there was a reduction in net revenue, which fell from 7.7% to 5.6% of total revenue. This behavior was also reflected in value added (VA), whose share decreased from 10.5% to 8.3% of the total covered by the manufacturing industry and selected trade and non-financial services companies.

On the other hand, in the short term, there was stability in the participation of the culture VA in the economy between 2021 and 2022 (both at 8.0%) and a growth trend in 2023 (8.3%), with the representativeness of the cultural sector in the VA growing 0.3 p.p. compared to previous years.

The data are part of the System of Cultural Information and Indicators (SIIC) 2013-2024, released today (12) by the IBGE. The study brings together information about the cultural sector from several IBGE surveys on enterprises, employment, prices and access to culture, in addition to other government administrative data. Also read the news about public spending on culture. Watch here the on-line press conference about the release.

“The information from the IBGE enterprise surveys shows structural changes in the sector in 10 years, with a gain in importance in the number of companies in activities such as those linked to film production, video production and television programs, linked to portals and internet providers, as well as architecture and advertising. There is a loss in sectors linked to books and sale of computer and communication equipment. In terms of value added, the comparison between 2023 and 2013 also shows structural changes, with a positive emphasis on activities related to the Internet, software and advertising. There is a drop in importance for open TV, pay TV, publishing sector and telecommunications, some of which with high economic weight, impacting the general VA of the cultural sector,” highlights Leonardo Athias, coordinator of the study.

Main changes in VA participation of cultural activities of the Core and Peripheral Domains

Source: IBGE, Pesquisa Industrial Anual - Empresa 2013-2023, Pesquisa Anual do Comércio 2013-2023 and Pesquisa Anual dos Serviços 2013-2023.

In 2023, the cultural sector recorded net revenue of R$910.6 billion and allocated R$115.9 billion to salaries, withdrawals and other compensation. Cultural activities contributed to the national economy with a value added of R$387.9 billion.

Companies in the cultural sector pay 31.5% higher salaries

In 2022, 644.1 thousand organizations were involved in cultural activities in Brazil. These companies employed 2.6 million people, with more than 2/3 of them (66.1% or 1.7 million) being salaried. Therefore, the cultural sector represented 6.8% of companies, 4.2% of employed people and 3.5% of salaried employees, according to information from IBGE's Central Registry of Enterprises (CEMPRE), one of the study's sources.

CEMPRE has a broader scope than structural surveys by enterprises, both in terms of sector (specific activities) and the profile of the companies covered (active and classified as business entities). Due to methodological changes in CEMPRE statistics, the time series was restarted in 2022. 

The total salaries paid in the year were R$102.8 billion, or 4.5% of the wage bill, equivalent to an average monthly salary of R$4,658. This is 31.5% higher than the average salary (R$3,542).

The publication uses a UNESCO classification, which divides cultural activities into central (in which there are eight domains) and peripheral (equipment and support materials). “The central domains are more linked to what we understand in a more spontaneous way as culture, such as audiovisual, music and books, design and architecture, while the peripheral ones are more supportive, such as equipment manufacturing and trade, telecommunications, which are also necessary for cultural enjoyment,” explains Athias. 

Most organizations are part of core cultural activities, while peripheral cultural activities employed most salaried employees in 2021. Core activities represented 67.0% of companies and 48.1% of employees, and peripheral activities represented 33.0% and 51.9% of the total, respectively.

In terms of salaried personnel, the activities with the highest concentration were in Audiovisual and interactive media, with 31.4% of salaried employees in core activities. These were also responsible for the highest average salaries in core activities, R$4,987. The lowest salaries were paid by companies in Education and training (R$2,029). In the peripheral domain, Equipment and support materials were the largest employers (51.9%), with the highest salaries (R$5,795).

Cultural sector concentrates 9.5% of Individual Micro-Entrepreneurs

For the first time, the System of Cultural Information and Indicators provides an analysis of Individual Micro-Entrepreneurs (MEIs) who work in the cultural sector. In 2022, 9.5% of MEIs (1.4 million) were in the cultural sector. Its distribution by domains was very different from that observed for companies in the Cempre cultural sector, with high shares for Design and creative services (44.9%), which includes activities linked to advertising, and Visual arts and crafts (13.0%).

Despite greater education, the culture sector is more informal

In 2024, the cultural sector had 5.9 million employed people, the highest figure in the time series started in 2014, following the dynamism of the labor market as a whole. In relative terms, it maintains the proportion of 5.8% observed in 2023, also representing the highest values ​​in the Continuous PNAD time series.

The profile of people employed in the cultural sector in 2024, in comparison with the total employed population, had a higher level of education (30.1% in culture x 23.4% in total activities with complete higher education), more female (47.4% x 43.4%), with more people of white color or race (50.2% x 43.2%), self-employed (43.0% x 25.2%) and in informal jobs (44.6% x 40.6%).

The usual real average earnings from the main job of the population employed in cultural activities were R$3,266 per month, in 2024, and R$3,331, in 2023, showing a retraction of 2.0%, taking inflation into account. At the same time, between 2023 and 2024, earnings from main job as a whole grew by 3.5%, reaching R$3,108 in 2024. As a result, the difference between culture and the total economy went from 11.0% in favor of culture to 5.1% in the last two years.

“This behavior can be explained by the dynamics of people’s allocation between jobs and activities from one year to the other, with growth starting in sectors with lower compensation such as education and accommodation and food,” observes Athias. 

For the first time, the study analyzed the main activities and jobs within the cultural sector. Advertising (8.3% of the cultural sector in 2024) has gained importance in the proportion of people employed in the cultural sector since the beginning of the time series, moving from the seventh position in 2014 to the first one in 2024. Telecommunications (7.6%) falls from the first to the second position and Wearing apparel (6.2%) rises from the tenth to the third position.

Furthermore, the highest levels of informality in 2024 were found in Manufacture of textile artifacts, except wearing apparel (80.8%), Manufacture of wood, cork and braided material products, except furniture (78.2%), Made-to-measure clothing of apparel articles (74.2%).

In 2024, IPCult grows 2.8%, while IPCA rises 4.8%

The Culture Price Index (IPCult) tracks the values ​​of a basket of goods and services in the sector. The time series of this indicator begins in 2020, with 30 cultural sub-items grouped into six groups.

Since 2020, the IPCult has had consistently smaller variations than the IPCA, being 2.8% in 2024, against 4.8% for the IPCA. On average, between 2020 and 2024, the variation in the year of IPCult was 3.1%, against 5.9% of the IPCA. The difference between the two indexes was more acute in 2021 (6.6 p.p.) and 2022 (4.3 p.p.), with smaller differences in 2023 (1.6 p.p.) and 2024 (2.0 p.p.).

In the national basket, the IPCult accounted for 9.1% of the IPCA in 2020, decreasing year by year until reaching 7.9% in 2024, which reflects the difference in the evolution of the variations in the sub-items that make up each of these indexes.

Regionally, the biggest price variations of IPCult between 2020 and 2024 were in the metropolitan areas of Belo Horizonte (MG), with 3.8%, São Paulo (SP), with 3.5%, and Porto Alegre (RS), with 3.2%. The lowest growth rates were in the municipality of São Luís (MA), with 2.1%, and the municipalities of Rio Branco (AC) and Campo Grande (MS), in addition to the metropolitan area of Belém (PA), followed with 2.3%.

More about the survey

The System of Cultural Information and Indicators - SIIC aims to develop a consistent and continuous base of information on the cultural sector and build indicators related to the topic. In its seventh edition, in addition to updating and deepening themes (such as tourism and a new approach to public expenses), the study innovates by exploring foreign trade of cultural goods and services, data on Individual Micro-Entrepreneurs - MEIs in the cultural sector and, with data from the 2022 Population Census, provides information regarding employment in the cultural sector and higher education related to culture at the municipal level.