Culture is infrastructure

In short: culture adds about as much to the UK economy as farming or energy supply. Yet it isn't counted as infrastructure (the basics a country needs to run, like roads and power). This directory maps Bristol's so it can be.

£38.2bn a year

What the UK's cultural sector adds to the economy. That's about the same as agriculture, energy supply or telecoms.

Up to 50% lower

The chance of clinical depression for people who often take part in culture, compared with people who don't.

£929 a person

The estimated value each year of regular cultural activity to a person's health and wellbeing.

£3.12 for every £1

Estimated economic output from public money in Arts Council England's funded organisations in 2023.

£4.9bn in tax

Paid by UK arts and culture in 2022. That's over ten times what Arts Council England gave its regularly funded organisations.

£43 an hour

What each hour worked in the cultural sector produced in 2023. That's in line with the UK average.

Why a map matters

Creative UK says culture gets left out when money is shared out. Part of the reason is that nobody has mapped it. It wants a national map of cultural infrastructure. The map would show where culture is and what state it's in. London has had one since 2019.

This directory is a map of Bristol, built by the community. It has 1093 places, crews and projects. Grassroots (small and independent) places come first. The data is free to reuse.

What you can do

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Source: Creative UK, Culture as Growth Infrastructure (2025), by Amy Tarr and Michelle Calame. The figures are the paper's own. Some are indicative (rough) estimates. There's more in Industry insights.