Italy's Culture Spending Remains Low Despite Recovery in Participation
The 2024 Minicifre della cultura report, released by Italy's Ministry of Culture (MiC) and Fondazione Scuola dei beni e delle attività culturali, analyzes data from 2021 to 2023. In 2023, cultural engagement surged by 12%, reaching 35%, thus reverting to levels seen before the pandemic. Users of state libraries rose from 10% to 12.4%, still below the 2018-19 high of 15.3%. Leisure reading climbed to 40.1%, while reading newspapers and books decreased to 35.5%. Lombardy accounted for 45% of the over 86,000 books published. Film production matched pre-Covid figures, yet per capita spending remains 22% lower than in 2019. Live performances increased by 33%, with concerts jumping 60%. Visits to heritage sites fell to 107.9 million, and public cultural expenditure in 2022 reached €8.9 billion. The number of cultural workers in 2023 was 825,100.
Key facts
- Cultural participation outside home rose 12% in 2023 vs 2022, reaching 35%.
- State library users grew from 10% to 12.4%, still below 2018-19 peak of 15.3%.
- Leisure reading reached 40.1% in 2023, up slightly; overall reading fell to 35.5%.
- 45% of books published in Italy come from Lombardy.
- Film production returned to pre-Covid levels; per capita spending 22% below 2019.
- Live performances up 33% vs 2019; concerts +60%, theater +11%.
- State museums had record attendance in 2023; total heritage visits 107.9M vs 128.6M in 2018.
- Public cultural spending in 2022 was €8.9B (0.8% of total), vs €26B in Germany and €22B in France.
- Cultural funds dropped from €4.33B in 2022 to €3.57B in 2023.
- Cultural workers: 825,100 in 2023 (3.5% of workforce), ranking 20th in EU.
- Average cultural worker: male (55%), aged 30-59 (75%), under-30s 13%.
- Private-sector average gross hourly pay: €19.75, with €2 gender gap.
Entities
Institutions
- Ministero della Cultura
- Direzione generale Educazione, ricerca e istituti culturali
- Fondazione Scuola dei beni e delle attività culturali
- SIAE
- MiC
- Italian Council
- PAC – Piano per l’Arte Contemporanea
- Creative Living Lab
- Strategia Fotografia
- Eurostat
- Artribune
Locations
- Italy
- Lombardy
- Colosseo
- Triennale di Milano
- Milan
- Germany
- France
- Netherlands