Emilia Romagna Economy Observatory

Creative industry

Culture, with 12.6 billion in turnover in 2023 is one of the driving forces of the Emilia-Romagna economy

The regional creative industry generated EUR 5.7 billion in added value in 2023, accounting for 3.8% of the Emilia-Romagna economy

9 May 2025

ITALY, EMILIA ROMAGNA

BOLOGNA

PIAZZA MAGGIORE, NEPTUNE FOUNTAIN AND PALAZZO DEL PODESTA'

PH.STEFANO CELLAI — ITALY, EMILIA ROMAGNA BOLOGNA PIAZZA MAGGIORE, NEPTUNE FOUNTAIN AND PALAZZO DEL PODESTA' PH.STEFANO CELLAI

5' min read

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Not only leisure, entertainment and knowledge, culture is also one of Emilia-Romagna's economic engines. With 102,000 people employed and 41,000 units, the regional creative industry in 2023 generated 12.6 billion euro in turnover and 5.7 billion euro in added value. A share equal to 3.8% of the total economy of Emilia-Romagna. And the future promises even better: forecasts for 2025 estimate constant growth in both added value and the number of employees.

These are some of the numbers that emerge from a report by the Culture and Creativity Observatory of the Region and that describe a dynamic and healthy sector, despite the challenges of the pandemic and the floods that hit the area two years ago.

Growing Additions

From 2019 to 2023, the number of employees in the CCIs (Cultural and Creative Industries) increased by 12%, a percentage that exceeds the +7.2% growth recorded over the same period for the entire regional production system. In particular, the Creative Services sector - which includes information technology, architectural design and advertising - is confirmed as the largest sector, with 59.8 thousand workers, or 58.4% of the total, testifying to the sector's transversality. At a territorial level, one third of the sector's employees are concentrated in the province of Bologna (with 34.6 thousand workers or 33.8%). This is followed by Modena with 15 thousand employees (14.7% of the total) and Reggio Emilia with 11 thousand employees (10.7%). The latter recorded a growth of 5.4% compared to 2022 and is, together with Rimini (+8.2%), the area with the largest year-on-year increase.

Targeted recovery supports

However, according to the report, the cultural sector needs targeted support to remain competitive and resilient. Comparing the latest figures with those of 2019, i.e. for the pre-pandemic period, the CCIs have yet to complete the recovery of the entire stock of real added value (-1.9%), compared to the +5.0% recorded by the entire regional economy. Looking at the sectors in more detail, the trend is heterogeneous. Architectural and engineering services, for example, exceeded the relative pre-pandemic value added level by ten percentage points, while Creative, artistic, entertainment and cultural heritage activities stood at -3.9% compared to 2019, followed by Cinema, audiovisual, TV, radio and music at -6.8% and Publishing at -10.6%.

Shifting the lens to cultural consumption - which returns the dynamics of demand by the community - the dynamics are different. In fact, most household consumption is concentrated in Creative, artistic and entertainment services and in libraries, archives, museums and other cultural services: we are talking about an expenditure of 1,589 million euros. This sector is followed by Publishing, with a consumption of 878 million euros, and Cinema, audiovisual, TV, radio and music, on which households spend 368 million euros.

Aggregation tools

Beyond the numbers, the report also highlights the crucial role of culture and creativity as factors of social development and territorial cohesion and instruments of inclusion and participation. Suffice it to think of the role of libraries, which in many municipalities, especially in the smallest ones, "represent a fundamental stronghold for access to information, socialisation and aggregation, especially for young people", as Gessica Allegni, Councillor for Culture, Parks and Forestry, Protection and Enhancement of Biodiversity, and Equal Opportunities of the Region, explains in the report's introduction. In Emilia-Romagna there are811 libraries and more than 98% of the region's inhabitants reside in a municipality with a public library. There are also 546 museums in the territory, which welcome approximately 6 million visitors annually, giving them the opportunity to learn about the history and artistic heritage of the Region.

Emilia-Romagna is also very active on the live performance front. In fact, it is the first region in terms of the number of such events per 10,000 inhabitants (with almost 49 performances per 10,000 inhabitants, compared to 42.5 in 2022) and in 2023 it will offer 21,649 (+14.9% on 2022). It is also the third region in terms of the number of spectators (+21% to over 5.3 million in 2023) and the third region in terms of expenditure with 150,702,630 euro in total (+26.2%). The same position for the Region in the ranking of expenditure per capita, with 34 euro - well above the national average of 25.1 euro. On the other hand, the performing arts sector was supported with various public funds in 2023. At regional and national level, 66 million euros have been allocated.

A future of growth

In 2025, the CCI are expected to continue on the growth path, following the dynamics of the overall regional economy. Between last year and the current year, real added value is expected to register a +1.9% and +0.6% (compared to +1.0% and +0.9% for the regional economy). At sector level, according to Prometeia's estimates, the strongest dynamics are expected for Creative, Artistic, Entertainment and Cultural Heritage Activities (+1.7% in 2024 and +2.1% in 2025 respectively), Advertising (+1.4% and +2.0), Cinema, Audiovisual, TV, Radio and Music (+0.9% and +1.7%) and Architecture and Engineering (+1.7% and +0.8%).

In the two-year period 2024-2025 there should also be a gradual recovery of household consumption, with real-value growth for CCI of +0.1% for last year and +1.6% for the current year (compared to +0.6% and +0.9% of total consumption in the regional economy, respectively). However, this dynamic is not sufficient to recover the pre-pandemic levels of household consumption.

Collaborating to support creativity

"As the Emilia-Romagna Region, we will continue to invest with conviction in the cultural and creative sector, supporting the production, distribution, and enjoyment of culture, promoting creativity in all its forms, enhancing our heritage, and supporting operators in the sector," commented Gessica Allegni, Councillor for Culture, Parks and Forestry, Protection and Enhancement of Biodiversity, Equal Opportunities of the Emilia-Romagna Region in the introduction to the report - We are aware that the challenge is complex and that it requires a constant and synergic commitment by all the players in the field: institutions, enterprises, associations, cultural and creative operators, citizens. It is only through active collaboration and constructive dialogue that we will be able to build a future in which culture and creativity play an increasingly leading role in the development of our region'.

"We must aspire to create a holistic development model that puts people, their dignity, their well-being and their ability to express themselves through culture at the centre, building a prosperous, inclusive and beauty-rich future for the new generations," added Vincenzo Colla, Vice-President of the Emilia-Romagna Region with responsibility for Economic Development and the Green Economy, Energy, Vocational Training, University and Research.