Experimental statistics: Satellite accounts for culture, 2019 and 2022

Key statistics

• In 2019, culture contributed 2.8% to the Slovenian gross domestic product; in 2022, the share remained at the same level.
• Around 40,000 people or 3.9% of all were employed in culture in 2019, and around 24,000 or 2.3% of all in core culture; the shares were similar in 2022.
• The amount spent by households in 2019 on culture was slightly more than EUR 848 million or on average EUR 1,028 per household, while the government expenditure on final consumption in the field of culture was over EUR 407 million. 

What are satellite accounts for culture?

To comprehensively monitor the field of culture, we designed, similar to some statistical offices, the methodology of satellite accounts for culture, which is based on the study of international practices and adaptation to our environment. This is closely related to national accounts, more specifically to supply and use tables, which enables the presentation of the economic structure of culture and its importance in the entire economy with the help of key macroeconomic indicators: the share of culture in production, intermediate consumption, value added, GDP, the structure of production and supply and use of cultural products, employment in culture, etc. 

The survey offers results for total culture (i.e. culture in a broader sense, which in addition to core culture covers four other cultural areas) and for core culture, which comprises five cultural areas: cultural heritage, performing arts, visual arts, books and periodicals, and audio-visual activity.



The data are published as experimental for 2019 and 2022, the results are therefore a first estimate, as the survey is new and the methodology for data preparation and calculation of indicators is still being developed.

Value added of culture and its contribution to GDP

In 2019, total culture contributed 2.8% to the gross value added, and core culture 1.6%. The preliminary result for 2022 shows a similar situation: total culture contributed 2.9% and core culture 1.6% to the value added of the whole economy.

Gross domestic product that can be attributed to total culture amounted to EUR 1.342 billion in 2019 or 2.8% of the Slovenian GDP. In 2022, the amount increased to EUR 1.603 billion, but expressed as a share there was no change as it remained at 2.8% of the national GDP. 

Core culture contributed EUR 809.5 million to the GDP in 2019, and EUR 927.3 million in 2022, which is 1.7% of the total GDP in 2019 and 1.6% in 2022. 

The calculated categories include the direct contribution of culture resulting from the production of cultural goods. Further indirect effects that arise in other activities in the economy as a result of production in the field of culture (i.e. total or multiplicative effects) are not the subject of this analysis. 

The structure of the supply is dominated by domestic production

In 2019, domestic production contributed 71.5% to total cultural supply valued at purchasers’ prices. Three years later, in 2022, the share decreased to 67.6%. 

The import of cultural goods and services contributed 24.5% to the supply of total culture in 2019, and 28.7% in 2022. It should not be forgotten that the impact of the corona period was still present as regards culture in 2022. 

The share of net taxes (taxes less subsidies on products) was 4.1% in 2019 and decreased to 3.7% in 2022.

Core culture contributed more than half to the production of total culture: in 2019, out of a total of EUR 2.783 billion, its share was EUR 1.520 billion. The ratio was similar in 2022: out of a total of EUR 3.281 billion, core culture produced EUR 1.791 billion of cultural goods and services. 

A more detailed overview of cultural areas of total culture supply in 2019 and 2022 shows that advertising stands out in terms of share, followed by audio-visual activity. 



Among the areas of core culture, audio-visual activity, and books and periodicals are dominant. 



Market producers produce most cultural goods

As regards providers of cultural goods and services, the domestic market is dominated by market producers, which contributed 80% of production in 2019. The government sector contributed 17%, and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) 3%. In 2022, the shares were similar. 

Intermediate consumption of cultural goods and services has the largest share in total consumption

In 2019, the consumption structure of available goods and services in total culture was as follows:

• EUR 1.992 billion (51.2%) was spent on intermediate consumption in production processes
• Final household consumption amounted to EUR 848.2 million (21.8%)
• EUR 528.9 million of cultural goods and services were exported (13.6%)
• Government consumption amounted to EUR 407.5 million (10.5%)
• EUR 66.9 million (1.7%) was spent on capital formation
• The rest, i.e. spending by non-profit institutions and changes in inventories, amounted to EUR 50.2 million (1.3%)

In the structure of intermediate consumption, the share of market producers was 91%, the government consumed 7%, and NPISHs 2%. The high share of intermediate consumption of cultural goods and services among market producers is largely due to advertising services, which represent a significant share in total culture. If we look at the structure of consumption only for goods and services of core culture, intermediate consumption represents 33%, household consumption 35%, exports 15%, government final consumption expenditure 12%, and capital formation 3%. 

According to current results, the consumption structure for 2022 is similar, but detailed data are not yet available. 



Shares of goods and services in the supply and use categories

The calculation of satellite accounts for culture takes into account the supply and use of all cultural goods, which include physical products (goods) and services. Domestic production is dominated by services (92%), while in imports the share of goods is 43%. Thus, the share of services in the entire supply at basic prices is 83%, and at purchasers’ prices 81%. In intermediate consumption, the share of goods is 8%, in expenditures of household and NPISHs 43%, in capital formation 76%, and in exports 46%. 

Employment in culture

One of the key indicators of the satellite accounts is employment, calculated in line with national accounts standards. The calculation estimates the number of employees directly related to the culture. This shows that in 2019, 40,492 people were employed in total culture or 3.9% of all employees, and in core culture 23,800 or 2.3% of all employees in the country. Three years later, in 2022, the number of the former increased to 42,427 and of the latter to 24,242. 

Despite the slightly higher number of persons employed in culture in 2022, the share of employment in the country practically did not change: it was also 3.9% in total culture and 2.2% in core culture.