Türkiye sees 84 pct surge in cultural spending: Official data

ANKARA

Cultural expenditures in Türkiye surged by 84.7 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, surpassing 276 billion Turkish Liras ($7.9 billion), with approximately 64 percent of the spending undertaken by the state, according to official data.

Nearly 68 percent of the state’s cultural expenditures emanated from the central government budget, said the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) in its cultural economy report published on Dec. 2.

Architectural endeavors claimed the lion’s share of state allocations in the cultural domain, the data said.

Cultural spending constituted 1 percent of Türkiye's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023. Among private sector contributions, publishing enterprises — responsible for printing and reproducing recorded media—held the preeminent share.

Additionally, ventures engaged in the production of motion pictures, video and television programs, alongside those specializing in sound recording, music publishing and the crafting of jewelry and analogous items, emerged as other pivotal contributors to the cultural economy.

Regarding the workforce, TÜİK revealed that cultural employment, spanning museums to film sets, increased by 9 percent in 2023 compared to the prior year, encompassing 743,000 individuals.

The majority of those employed in cultural sectors were aged between 30 and 54.

Disaggregating by cultural activity, professionals in architecture and specialized design represented 11.1 percent of total cultural employment, while those in creative and performing arts, as well as entertainment activities, accounted for 5.6 percent.

Workers in programming, broadcasting and news agencies constituted 4.3 percent.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy earlier announced that a total allocation of 6 billion liras was dedicated to archaeological excavations nationwide.

A year prior, the ministry initiated the Legacy for the Future project, aimed at amplifying support for archaeological undertakings, expediting their progress and extending them across a 12-month calendar.

Within the project’s scope, over 2,000 specialists and more than 3,000 personnel contributed to unearthing upwards of 4,000 archaeological artifacts in 2024.

"Through this initiative, we aim to achieve progress in four years equivalent to what has been accomplished over the past six decades by providing robust logistical and financial support. Our approach is not one of haste but of intensity — conducting excavations not in isolation but simultaneously across multiple sites, ensuring significant advancements,” Ersoy said.