Culture, Media and Time Use

Culture statistics

The work on cultural statistics was started by Statistics Finland in the late 1970s. Large compilations were published in 1978 and 1984. They extended the definition of culture to mass media, on which statistics have been compiled as separate wholes regularly since 1987. The third issue of Cultural Statistics, following a narrower definition, was published in 1999 and the fourth in 2002. Statistics on culture will be compiled on a regular basis by Statistics Finland; and the next compilation will be issued in 2004. In the intermediate years special surveys are made on less accurately recorded sectors or on topical themes. A report on cultural labour force in 1970-1999 was published in 2001.

The production of cultural statistics makes use of Statistics Finland's own material and registers, such as the Population Census, the Business Register and the Household Budget Survey. In addition, statistics by other statistics producers and data derived from them are also used (e.g. National Board of Antiquities, Ministry of Education, Association of Finnish Symphony Orchestras, Finnish Film Foundation, Finnish Book Publishers' Association, Arts Council of Finland, Finnish Theatre Information Centre, Finnish Composers' Copyright Society, and Finnish National Group of IFPI).

Cultural statistics are compiled in co-operation between Statistics Finland and the Ministry of Education.

Cultural Statistics is a versatile review on the state and recent developments of Finnish culture in the form of statistical data and concise summary articles. The publication examines financing of the arts and culture, cultural labour force, cultural enterprises, cultural events, buildings and journals, cultural heritage, museums and libraries. Each field of art is organised into a section of its own (film, literature, visual and photographic art, crafts and design, music, architecture, dance and theatre).

Cultural statistics is published every two years (next in 2004). It is produced entirely in Finnish and English.

Karttunen, Sari: Kulttuurityövoima 1970-1999 (Cultural labour force in 1970-1999; summary in English). The report examines the development of Finnish cultural labour force in 1970-1999 on the basis of population censuses and employment statistics: the number of persons with different occupations, age and sex distribution, education, domicile, branch of industry, employer sector and income level. The report also evaluates the use of census data in the examination of cultural occupations. The tables are in Finnish and English.

Karttunen, Sari: Kuntien kulttuuritoiminta ja sen kustannukset (Cultural functions and their costs in Finnish municipalities; summary in English and in Swedish). This publication examines the costs of cultural functions in Finnish municipalities. The data used were local government financial statistics and separate statistics on cultural institutions. The tables are in Finnish, but there is a list of tables and glossary in English and in Swedish.

The publications can be ordered from Statistics Finland's Publication sales (+358 9 1734 2011).

Contact information

Updated 2.12.2003