The UNESCO Institute for Statistics has just released a report on ‘International flows of selected cultural goods and services, 1994-2003‘.

Three countries (the United Kingdom, United States and China) produced 40 percent of the world’s cultural trade products in 2002, while Latin America and Africa together accounted for less than four percent according to the new report. It analyses cross-border trade data from about 120 countries on selected products, such as books, CDs, videogames and sculptures. It presents new methodology to better reflect cultural trade flows, contributing to UNESCOs effort to collect and analyse data that clearly illustrate the central role of culture in economic, social and human development.

The global market value of cultural and creative industries has been estimated at USD 1.3 trillion and is rapidly expanding. According to the report, between 1994 and 2002, international trade in cultural goods increased from USD 38 billion to USD 60 bn.

This study is a step forward in measuring the nature and direction of international cultural trade flows. However the lack of data, particularly for cultural services, together with the complex nature of cultural products, means that the Report offers only a partial picture. In line with the recent adoption by UNESCO of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (October 2005), the Organization will pursue its efforts to identify new ways to measure culture and its manifold expressions.

Five case studies are presented in the following charts, identifying each countrys top five trade partners, their respective shares (expressed in percentages) for 2003 and 1994, and the main products traded.

Read more at nieuwsbank.nl or download the full report here.