Economic value of creative industries in Wales rises

The economic value of the creative industries in Wales came to £1.52bn in 2023, statistics published by the Welsh government show.

The figure represents a rise of 10.6% on the £1.37bn recorded in 2022 but remains 10.9% down on the 2021 figure of £1.71bn.

According to the statistics, there are now 3,595 businesses operating in the creative industries in Wales, an increase of 11.8% on 2018 figures. This compares with an increase of 3.5% in the number of businesses across the entire Welsh economy.

Meanwhile, the total number of employees in the Welsh creative sector rose slightly, from 15,015 in 2022 to 15,100 in 2023. However, this represents a fall of 1,745 on the 16,845 employees recorded in 2019.

Despite the measures being down on recent highs, the Welsh government said it was pleased with year-on-year progress.

It singled out the Welsh TV and film industry – which had a turnover of £460m to Wales during 2023 – for praise, stating successful productions such as House of the Dragon, Men Up and Lost Boys & Fairies have showcased Welsh locations and helped to further the country’s global reputation as “a first-class place to make excellent TV and film”.

Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy in Wales said: “We should be shouting from the rooftops about the strength and success of our creative industries in Wales.

“These figures demonstrate what we already suspected – that the film and TV, music, games, digital, animation and publishing sectors are now important employers here with turnover and jobs growing at a rate well above the Welsh average.”