Total taxable wages for culture and creative industries in 2023 were just under 47.5 billion ISK and increased by 5.5% from 2022, when the total taxable wages were 45 billion ISK, or by 2.5 billion ISK. In comparison, the total taxable wages for all fields increased by 13.1%.
The highest taxable wages in 2023 were in design and architecture with 8.8 billion ISK and media with 6.6 billion ISK. Taxable wages increased in all categories between 2022 and 2023 with the highest increases in cultural heritage (11.3%) and design and architecture (10.3%).
Over a five-year period, 2019-2023, the combined taxable wages for culture and creative industries increased by a quarter, with increase in all categories expect for one.
The biggest increase was in film and television (61.7%) and in visual arts (56.8%). However, there was a 20.5% decrease in printing. The average increase was 4.6% per year.
Employees and employers
In 2023, overall employees in the creative industries were 6,805 and employers 1,666. The number of employees decreased by 33 from 2022 while the number of employers increased by 59.
Most employees worked in design and architecture in 2023, or 1,081. The sector also had the most employers, or 378.