Data collected from over 120 countries indicate that without an update to cultural policy, inequality among content creators will only deepen.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Anani emphasized 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 amid rapid technological changes.
Vulnerability of the Growing Industry
While cultural and creative industries are becoming increasingly important for economic growth and sustainable development, their supporting infrastructure remains fragile. According to the report's authors, 85% of countries include culture in their national development plans; however, only 56% of them set specific goals in this area, demonstrating a gap between declarations and real actions.In 2023, global trade in cultural goods doubled, reaching $254 billion, with nearly half of this export coming from developing countries.
Government funding for culture continues to be critically low, accounting for less than 0.6% of global GDP, and this figure continues to decline. Another issue is the limited mobility of artists: while developed countries support the outbound movement of their creative professionals in 96% of cases, only 38% of them facilitate the entry of cultural practitioners from developing countries.
Economic Instability Due to the Digital Divide
The report points to serious structural changes caused by digitalization. The share of digital revenue among content creators has increased from 17% in 2018 to 35% today; however, this has also led to greater instability and risks of copyright infringement. The most alarming forecast concerns the impact of generative AI: by 2028, musicians could lose up to 24% of their income, while audiovisual content creators could lose up to 21%.The existing gap in digital skills remains significant: 67% of the population in developed countries have basic knowledge, compared to only 28% in developing countries. The increasing concentration on major streaming platforms and opaque recommendation algorithms may further marginalize lesser-known authors. At the same time, only 48% of countries collect such data, complicating the development of effective policy.
Creative Freedom Under Threat
The UNESCO report also notes a rise 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, such as digital surveillance and algorithmic bias, also have a negative impact.Gender Inequality in the Cultural Sector
Despite some progress in increasing the number 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, only 30%.In many countries, women are still primarily perceived as consumers of culture rather than as creators and leaders.Illustration on the main page: Unsplash/C. Johnson.
