Culture Statistics 2024: Investment in Portugal

The latest figures from the Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE) (National Statistics Institute) regarding culture in Portugal have just been released. The Estatísticas da Cultura 2024 (Culture Statistics 2024) data (published in November 2025) confirm what was already visible on the streets: the sector is growing rapidly, involving nearly 80,000 companies and providing employment to 197,000 people, with public investment already exceeding 772 million euros.

📋 Article Index

1. Executive Summary
2. Cultural Education
3. Cultural Employment
4. Cultural and Creative Companies
5. Cultural Heritage and Museums
6. Live Performances
7. Cinema and Audiovisual
8. Books and Publications
9. Online Cultural Participation
10. Public Funding
11. Frequently Asked Questions

📊 Executive Summary: Culture in Portugal

If you want to know the state of culture in Portugal, the Estatísticas da Cultura 2024 is the best barometer. This document acts as a complete X-ray, covering 13 distinct areas—from what is taught in schools to the money circulating in live performances, including cinema, books, and the impact of public funding.

The publication follows the consensus established by the European Statistical System, namely the Guide to Eurostat Culture Statistics (2018 edition), allowing for comparability with other European Union countries.

Key Indicators 2024

🎓 Cultural Education: 48,000 Students

In the 2023/2024 academic year, 48,356 students were enrolled in higher education in cultural education and training areas, representing 10.8% of the total Portuguese higher education student body. This figure represents a slight increase of 0.2% compared to the previous academic year.

Distribution by Training Area

The number of graduates in cultural areas was 10,870 in 2023/2024, an increase of 2.9% compared to the previous year. In the arts, audiovisual techniques and media production (11,773 enrolled) and fashion, interior, and industrial design (6,719 enrolled) stand out.

👥 Cultural Employment: 3.9% of the Population

Currently, about 197,000 people make a living in the cultural and creative sector here. This means that 3.9% of those working in Portugal are linked to the arts or creativity. Although the number has slightly decreased from the 201,000 recorded in 2023 (a 2% drop), the sector's weight in the economy remains very significant.

Cultural Worker Profile

Those working in culture tend to have a very specific profile: they are highly qualified professionals—nearly 60% have a university degree, a value well above the national average (34%). But it's not all roses. There are many more people working for themselves (29.5%), and contractual stability still leaves something to be desired: only 56% have permanent contracts, while in the rest of the country, that figure reaches 84%.

Remuneration in the Cultural Sector

In 2024, the average total monthly gross remuneration in the cultural and creative sector was 1,586 euros, slightly lower than the national average of 1,604 euros. Differences between activities are notable:

• Computer game publishing: €3,360 (highest remuneration)
• Television activities: ~€2,500
• Architecture: ~€1,800
• Rental of video tapes and discs: €894 (lowest remuneration)

🏢 Cultural Companies: 79,706 in Operation

In 2023 (latest available data), the cultural and creative sector had 79,706 companies, an increase of 5.8% (+4,336 companies) compared to the previous year. These companies represent 5.3% of the total Portuguese non-financial business sector.

Distribution by Activity

The sector's turnover totaled 8.8 billion euros (+8.2%). The activities with the greatest weight are advertising agencies, newspaper/magazine trade, printing, television, and architecture, which together represent 51.3% of the turnover.

🏛️ Cultural Heritage: 19.4 Million Visitors

The 475 museums considered for statistical purposes in Portugal received 19.4 million visitors in 2024, a growth of 7.6% compared to the previous year. Of these visitors, 9.4 million (48.4%) were foreigners.

Museum Collections

The collective of Portuguese museums holds a collection of 22.3 million items, an increase of 8.6% compared to 2023. This heritage wealth is distributed across various museum typologies:

• Art Museums
• History Museums
• Science and Technology Museums
• Ethnography Museums
• Specialized Museums

Classified Real Estate

In 2024, Portugal had 4,875 classified real estate properties:

Of these, 866 properties are classified as Monumentos Nacionais (National Monuments), the highest protection category.

🎵 Live Performances: 18.6 Million Spectators

The live performance sector recorded significant growth in 2024, consolidating the post-pandemic recovery:

Music Dominates the Stages

Music was the modality with the greatest expression, representing:

• 38.4% of sessions
• 57.8% of spectators
• 79.0% of revenue

Within music, pop/rock stood out with 2,762 concerts, 4.6 million spectators, and 88.4 million euros in revenue. The average price per pop/rock ticket was 43.9 euros.

Theater took second place, with 16,047 sessions (35.7% of the total), 2.3 million spectators, and 23.1 million euros in revenue (+33.8% compared to 2023).

🎬 Cinema: 11.9 Million Spectators

In cinema, the 2024 scenario was somewhat bittersweet. While there were more sessions available in theaters, the number of spectators ended up falling slightly:

Origin of Films

Of the 1,298 films screened in 2024:

• Co-productions: 37.3% of films, 51.2% of spectators, 51.0% of revenue
• USA: 17.4% of films, 40.1% of spectators, 40.7% of revenue
• Europe: 32.4% of films
• Portugal: 191 films (14.7%), but only 4.3% of spectators and 4.0% of revenue

The 3rd quarter was the period with the highest activity, concentrating 27.6% of sessions, 34.0% of spectators, and 34.3% of revenue.

📚 Books and Publications

Book Statistics

In 2024 (provisional data), 11,615 printed books were published, a decrease of 14.3% compared to the previous year. The distribution was:

• First editions: 10,106 (87.0%)
• Re-editions: 1,509 (13.0%)
• Originals: 8,636 (74.4%)
• Translations: 2,967 (25.5%)

Literature books dominated (67.4%), followed by reference works (4.9%) and educational manuals (4.1%). The number of published authors was 9,484.

Periodical Publications

Of the 860 periodical publications in 2024:

• Newspapers: 437 (50.8%)
• Magazines: 423 (49.2%)

Regarding the medium of dissemination:

• Paper and electronic: 42.1%
• Paper only: 39.1%
• Electronic only: 18.8%

Total circulation reached 545.8 million copies, of which 85% were free and only 15% were paid.

💻 Online Cultural Participation

According to the Survey on the Use of ICT by Families, in 2024, internet users in Portugal performed the following cultural activities:

💰 Public Funding: 772.7 Million Euros

In 2024, City Councils (Câmaras Municipais) invested 772.7 million euros in cultural and creative activities, a significant increase of 12.8% (+87.9 million) compared to the previous year.

Distribution by Domain

Expenditure per Inhabitant and Region

The average expenditure on culture per inhabitant was 77.2 euros nationwide (€64.7 in 2023). By region:

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

📝 Methodology and Data Source

The data presented in this article comes from the Estatísticas da Cultura 2024 published by the Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE) in November 2025.

Methodological Notes

• The scope of the cultural sector follows the Guide to Eurostat Culture Statistics (2018)
• Data refers to 2024, except for companies (2023)
• Information is disaggregated at the NUTS II region level
• Museum data includes only those meeting statistical criteria