Cultural Expenditures Soar by 84.7% in 2023

In 2023, cultural expenditures increased by 84.7% compared to 2022, reaching 276 billion 338 million 253 thousand TL. The proportion of cultural expenditures to gross domestic product (GDP) was 1.0% in 2023.

According to the announcement by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the share of general government cultural expenditures was 64.3%. In 2023, the share of general government expenditures within total cultural expenditures was 64.3%. General government cultural expenditures rose by 98.1% from the previous year, amounting to 177 billion 594 million 791 thousand TL, with 67.9% of the expenditures funded by the central government budget. The highest share in general government cultural expenditures was in architecture, accounting for 24.4%.

Household cultural spending allocated 22.0% to data processing equipment. In 2023, households spent 22.0% on data processing equipment, 21.0% on televisions and related equipment, and 15.0% on books.

Factor costs and value added in the cultural sectors increased by 94.0%. The value added by enterprises operating in cultural sectors grew by 94.0%, reaching 108 billion 214 million 593 thousand TL. Of the value added, 22.2% was produced by enterprises engaged in the printing and reproduction of registered media, 13.0% by film, video, and television program production, sound recording, and music publishing activities, and 12.1% by enterprises involved in the manufacture of jewelry and similar items.

Cultural goods exports increased by 47.7%, while cultural goods imports rose by 87.5%. Cultural goods exports reached 263 billion 740 million 463 thousand TL, a 47.7% increase from the previous year, while cultural goods imports amounted to 149 billion 553 million 210 thousand TL, an increase of 87.5%. The share of cultural goods exports in total goods exports was 4.3% in 2023, while the import share of cultural goods in total goods imports was 1.8%.

Cultural employment increased by 9.0%. In 2023, cultural employment rose by 9.0% compared to the previous year, reaching 743 thousand individuals. Among those employed in cultural sectors, 60.8% were in the 30-54 age group, 28.8% in the 15-29 age group, and 10.4% in the 55 and older age group.

The share of artisans in cultural employment was 38.5%. Cultural employment was composed of 89.3% in cultural professions and 10.7% in non-cultural professions. Artisans made up 38.5% of cultural employment, architects, planners, and designers constituted 18.7%, creative artists and performing artists accounted for 9.9%, and writers, journalists, and linguists comprised 9.3%.

The share of architecture and specialized design activities was 11.1%. In terms of cultural sectors, employees in architecture and specialized design activities held an 11.1% share of total cultural employment, while those in creative arts, performing arts, and entertainment sectors accounted for 5.6%, and programming, publishing, and news agency activities represented 4.3%.