Collection

DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates

This series brings together all documents relating to DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates.

In releases before 7 Feb 2023, figures for the digital sector and telecoms were included in the DCMS sector total. In releases between 7 February 2023 and 30 March 2024, figures for the digital sector and telecoms are presented separately as these policy areas became a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) responsibility from 7 February 2023.

From April 2024 onwards, Economic Estimates for the digital sector are published by DSIT.

See the Digital Sector Economic Estimates Series

Portfolio

These bulletins contain statistics on the contribution of DCMS sectors to the UK economy, measured by:

Gross value added (GVA) National statistics used to provide an estimate of the economic contribution of the DCMS sectors in terms of gross value added.
Employment National statistics used to provide an overview of the those working in the DCMS sectors. They provide a measure of the number of filled jobs supported by industries within DCMS’s remit, and of the characteristics of the workforce by demographic groups.
Earnings Official statistics used to provide an estimate of earnings across the DCMS sectors and between different demographic groups. They include various measures of earnings as well as a measure of the gender pay gap in the DCMS sectors.
Imports and exports of services and goods Official statistics used to provide an estimate of the contribution of the DCMS sectors to the UK economy, measured by imports and exports of services and goods.
Business demographics Business Demographics: National Statistics used to provide an estimate of the contribution of DCMS sectors to the UK economy, measured by the number and characteristics of businesses
Productivity Official statistics in development used to provide an estimate of productivity in the DCMS sectors, measured by output per hour and output per job

Content

These statistics cover the contributions of the following DCMS sectors to the UK economy:

  • civil society
  • creative industries
  • cultural sector
  • gambling
  • sport
  • tourism

A definition for each sector is available in the associated technical report along with details of methods and data limitations.

Methodology

The methodologies used in the economic estimates series vary depending on the release. For the exact methodology in each release, see the relevant technical notes.

The DCMS sector/sub-sector definitions are similar but not identical across the series.

Accredited official statistics

Annual GVA, regional GVA, business demographics and employment were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2018/19. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled accredited official statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

This accreditation is an ongoing responsibility and we have, and will, continue to develop the economic estimates series in line with principles outlined in the Code of Practice for Statistics.


Since the independent review, we have improved the communication of our statistics, their limitations and the wider evidence landscape, including by incorporating additional information alongside each release such as alternative data sources, quality assurance procedures, and quantification of sector overlaps. We have sought and responded to a broad range of stakeholders via two consultation exercises and subsequent analytical work which has, for example, meant we increased the frequency and coverage of the employment publications and introduced an experimental measure of productivity in DCMS sectors, which we hope to regularise. 

Some users will be aware that we also reviewed the DCMS sector definitions and assessed the potential for a unified methodology. We reviewed a variety of analytical methods to construct definitions, looking for a method that would be generalisable across all sectors, had coherence and comparability over time and was replicable by others. Based on this work, we do not believe it is optimal or appropriate to construct definitions for all sectors using an identical approach. We have made the Office for Statistics Regulation aware of our approach, and will instead continue to focus on ensuring our definitions are as good as they can be for each sector and always welcome user feedback on this.


Consultation and user feedback

See consultations and responses.

We always welcome user feedback. Please email us on [email protected] or phone us on 020 7211 6000.

Economic estimates also release ad-hoc estimates that have not been included in our standard publications. The department also produces a number of other DCMS statistics.

Documents

Updates to this page

Published 4 August 2016
Last updated 19 December 2024 + show all updates
  1. Added DCMS Economic Estimates GVA 2023 (provisional) to the list.

  2. Link to latest published data added.

  3. Added latest publication

  4. Updated to include latest monthly GVA release to September 2024

  5. Addition of the latest release, Economic Estimates: Employment in DCMS sectors, April 2023 to March 2024, to the document collection.

  6. Added latest monthly GVA publication.

  7. Updated to include regional GVA 2022 publication.

  8. Updated to include latest employment and earnings publication.

  9. Updated to include latest monthly GVA publication.

  10. Added link to new productivity estimates

  11. Updated to include new productivity release.

  12. Addition of Economic Estimates: Earnings 2023 and employment October 2022 to September 2023 for the DCMS Sectors and Digital Sector.

  13. Added link to latest monthly GVA statistics

  14. New publication DCMS and the digital sector annual GVA 2022 (provisional) added to collection

  15. Added the publication of "DCMS and Digital Economic Estimates: Business Demographics, 2023" to this collection list.

  16. Added link to newly published monthly GVA estimates to September 2023

  17. Added the latest employment estimates.

  18. Updated to add latest monthly GVA publication.

  19. New release added: 'DCMS and Digital Sector Economic Estimates: Trade, 2021'

  20. New publication of regional Gross Value Added 2020

  21. Added the latest Employment and earnings estimates

  22. Updated to include latest monthly GVA publication

  23. Updated to add the latest employment and earnings estimates.

  24. Updated to include newly-published statistics. Economic Estimates: GVA for the DCMS Sectors and the Digital Sector, 2020

  25. New estimates of monthly GVA for DCMS and the Digital sector up to December 2022.

  26. Added: DCMS Sector Economic Estimates: Employment, July 2021 - June 2022

  27. Link added to updated statistics on business dempgraphics.

  28. Link added to updated monthly GVA release.

  29. Document collection updated to include the release of the latest employment estimates.

  30. Monthly GVA to June 2022 added to collection.

  31. Updated to include a new statistical release - DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates: Workforce 2021

  32. Monthly GVA to March 2022 added to collection.

  33. Updated with a link to the latest Economic Estimates publication - DCMS Sector Economic Estimates 2020: Trade

  34. Added latest monthly GVA release, Jan 2019 to Dec 2021

  35. Published employment estimates for October 2020 to September 2021

  36. Updated to include new publication - DCMS Sector National Economic Estimates: 2011 to 2020

  37. Added link to new monthly GVA release.

  38. New release added - Employment 2019 to June 2021

  39. Added new National Statistics release - DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates 2019: Regional GVA

  40. Added new Official Statistics release - DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates: Monthly GVA (to June 2021)

  41. Added a link to a new set of statistics

  42. Added Official Statistics release - DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates: Monthly GVA (to March 2021)

  43. Added new document - DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates 2019: Trade in Services.

  44. Added a small link and note to our Rapid Economic Indicators.

  45. Added Economic Estimates 2020: Earnings to collection.

  46. Published the 2019 trade in DCMS sector goods, and trade in tourism report

  47. Published estimates of business births and deaths for DCMS sectors for 2010-2018.

  48. Published business demographics for 2018

  49. We have published estimates of employment in the DCMS sectors for 2019

  50. Consultation on the demographic breakdowns used in the DCMS Sector Employment estimates has closed.

  51. We have added information about the National Statistics assessment of the series.

  52. We have added a data tool covering GVA, employment and business sites.

  53. We have published the DCMS Sectors Economics Estimates 2017: Regional GVA report

  54. We have published the DCMS Sectors Economics Estimates 2017: Business Demographics report

  55. Regional GVA published.

  56. Published latest GVA data for DCMS Sectors.

  57. The methodology note has been updated.

  58. First published.