Comparatively speaking, jobs in culture may make up a small portion of the EU’s labour market, but they’re the basis for the livelihoods of millions across the bloc.
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In 2025, the EU’s cultural sector employed 8.9 million people, representing 4.3% of total EU employment, according to the latest Eurostat figures.
Between 2024 and 2025, the number of people employed in the cultural sector increased by 0.5 percentage points. This includes roles such as artists, musicians, and actors, among others.
Nearly half of those employed in culture were aged between 30 and 49, and most people working in the cultural sector held at least a bachelor’s degree.
This is followed by 31.3% of employees who had at least completed secondary school, and 6.7% of workers who had completed up to lower secondary education.
In 17 of the 27 EU countries, cultural employment accounted for between 4% and 5% of total employment.
The highest shares of people employed in culture were in the Netherlands (5.7%), Estonia (5.3%) and Malta (5.1%).
In contrast, the lowest shares were in Romania (1.8%), Slovakia (3.3%) and Ireland (3.4%).
EU’s promise for culture
Last month, the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament and the European Commission signed their first-ever declaration on culture, entitled “Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe”.
It set out what those institutions say should guide EU cultural policy in the near future and aims to recognise the key role that culture plays in addressing contemporary challenges.
These include geopolitical tensions, climate change, the digital transition, social inequality and the mental health crisis, according to the Council of the EU’s press note.
The move was timely due to a combination of factors, according to Mafalda Dâmaso, a researcher at the European University Institute specialising in EU cultural and media policy and diplomacy.
“The sector faces a combination of complex challenges that speak to all political groups and Member States, even if their impact is differentiated across the Union,” she told Europe in Motion. “This goes from AI, which challenges the cultural and creative value chain, the sustainability of the sector, and the livelihood of cultural workers, to the growing market share and power of platforms, which endanger cultural diversity, or even to the growing use of the sector to propagate anti-democratic disinformation.”
“Different European stakeholders support the declaration for multiple reasons, but they all agree that the sector must be protected,” Dâmaso added.
The document outlines 12 principles for EU cultural policy, including calling for artists to be able to work without censorship and cultural workers to receive better pay and social protection.
However, the declaration is not a law, so it does not force governments to spend more on the sector, and so it remains to be seen how each country will respond to its provisions.
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