Artworks report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Commissioned by Business/Arts, October 28, 2025.
Arts and culture sector contributes $131 billion to Canada’s economy
New report, Artworks, conducted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab and commissioned by Business / Arts in partnership with Canada Council for the Arts, reveals how the arts and culture sector drives economic growth and Canadians’ quality of life.
Ottawa, Ontario, October 28, 2025 — Canada’s arts and culture sector contributed $65 billion in direct GDP to the Canadian economy in 2024, growing faster and supporting more jobs per dollar than other key sectors like oil and gas, manufacturing or agriculture. These findings come from Artworks: The Economic and Social Dividends from Canada’s Arts and Culture Sector, a new report conducted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab.
The research, commissioned by Business / Arts in partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts, demonstrates that Canada’s creative industries contribute not only to social cohesion, community and Canadians’ sense of meaning and purpose, but drive measurable economic growth and regional development.
“The arts and culture sector enriches every aspect of Canadian life. It fuels economic growth, attracts talent, fosters belonging, and strengthens our communities,” says Aubrey Reeves, President and CEO of Business / Arts. “With the release of the Artworks report, we are demonstrating culture’s measurable impacts and making a clear, evidence-based case for continued investment in the creative economy that keeps Canada competitive and connected.”
Over the past three years, GDP stemming from the arts and culture sector has grown almost 8%, outpacing Canada’s overall economic growth of 4%. Meanwhile, Canadian international trade in cultural goods and services reached an all-time high in 2022, with $25 billion sold to foreign customers. Cultural exports have doubled since 2011, with top categories including visual and applied arts, audiovisual and interactive media, and written and published works.
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