Cultural employment across the European Union has reached 8.9 million people, representing 4.3 percent of total bloc employment in 2025, according to fresh Eurostat figures. The data, released alongside the EU's first-ever joint declaration on culture, shows a modest but steady increase of 0.5 percentage points from the previous year.
Nearly half of those working in culture are between 30 and 49 years old, and the majority hold at least a bachelor's degree. The sector encompasses a wide range of roles—from artists, musicians, and actors to technicians, curators, and administrators—underscoring its diversity beyond the stereotypical image of the struggling creative.
National disparities in cultural employment
In 17 of the 27 member states, cultural jobs account for between 4 and 5 percent of national employment. The highest shares are found in the Netherlands (5.7 percent), Estonia (5.3 percent), and Malta (5.1 percent). At the other end of the spectrum, Romania records the lowest share at just 1.8 percent, followed by Slovakia (3.3 percent) and Ireland (3.4 percent).
These disparities reflect differences in economic structure, public investment in the arts, and the size of the creative industries. For instance, the Netherlands has long prioritised cultural policy, while Romania's low figure may be linked to a smaller formal cultural sector and a larger informal economy.
EU's first culture declaration: a turning point?
Last month, the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, and the European Commission signed the first tripartite declaration on culture, titled "Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe". The document outlines 12 guiding principles for EU cultural policy, including the right of artists to work without censorship, better pay and social protection for cultural workers, and the need to safeguard cultural diversity in the digital age.
The declaration explicitly links culture to broader societal challenges: geopolitical tensions, climate change, the digital transition, social inequality, and the mental health crisis. It is a recognition that culture is not a luxury but a strategic asset for European resilience.
Mafalda Dâmaso, a researcher at the European University Institute specialising in EU cultural and media policy, told Europe in Motion that the timing is crucial. "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 said. "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."
Dâmaso added that "different European stakeholders support the declaration for multiple reasons, but they all agree that the sector must be protected."
What the declaration means in practice
The declaration is non-binding, but it sets a political direction. It calls on member states to improve working conditions for cultural professionals, invest in cultural infrastructure, and promote cultural participation across all age groups. It also emphasises the role of culture in countering disinformation and strengthening democratic values—a theme that resonates amid ongoing debates about media freedom and platform regulation in Brussels.
The EU's cultural sector remains a small but vital part of the economy. The new data and the declaration together signal that European institutions are taking culture more seriously as a policy domain—one that intersects with technology, trade, and social cohesion. Whether this translates into concrete funding and regulatory changes will depend on the political will of member states and the European Commission in the coming years.
For now, the message from Brussels is clear: culture matters, and it needs support. As the bloc navigates AI disruption, platform dominance, and geopolitical uncertainty, the creative workforce may prove to be one of Europe's most resilient assets.
