DCMS Sector Economic Estimates: Research and Development (R&D), 2023
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-24)

Official statistics in development providing an estimate of expenditure on R&D by UK businesses in the DCMS sectors.

Revision note

24 September 2025: the DCMS Sector Economic Estimates R&D 2023 main report has been revised to correct a small error in the commentary in section 2.1, specifically the percentage change between 2022 and 2023 for sport sector R&D expenditure. No other data is affected.

About

These economic estimates are official statistics in development providing an estimate of expenditure on R&D by UK businesses in the DCMS sectors.

Headline findings

In 2023, expenditure on R&D by businesses in the included DCMS sectors was an estimated £8.4 billion, 17% of the R&D expenditure by UK businesses overall (£50.0 billion). This was an increase of £0.6 billion (7%) since 2022.

Expenditure on R&D by businesses in both DCMS sectors and the economy as a whole was higher in London than in any other region in 2023, with expenditure by businesses in the included DCMS sectors more concentrated in London than for UK businesses overall (41% compared to 22%).

Estimates of R&D expenditure by included DCMS sector (which overlap with each other) in 2023:
- Creative industries: £7.1 billion, accounting for 85% of total expenditure by the included DCMS sectors and 14% of expenditure by UK businesses overall. This was an increase of 9% from 2022.
- Tourism industries*: £0.9 billion, accounting for 11% of total expenditure by the included DCMS sectors and 2% of expenditure by UK businesses overall. This was a decrease of 11% from 2022.
- Sport sector: £0.8 billion, accounting for 10% of total expenditure by the included DCMS sectors and 2% of expenditure by UK businesses overall. This was an increase of 4% from 2022.
- Cultural sector: £0.8 billion, accounting for 10% of total expenditure by the included DCMS sectors and 2% of expenditure by UK businesses overall. This was an increase of 22% from 2022.
*Tourism industries estimates in this release are constructed on a different basis to the tourism sector estimates in our other economic estimates and will be larger as they take into account the entire industry rather than strictly tourism activity.

Estimates of R&D expenditure by businesses in the civil society sector are not available in this release because these organisations are not identifiable in the data source.

Due to sampling and methodology changes to the BERD survey in 2022, estimates in this release are not directly comparable to previous estimates produced using BERD data for years before 2022. This includes estimates published by the ONS on Expenditure on research and development performed in UK businesses in the Creative Industries sector, 2020 (https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/adhocs/14890expenditureonresearchanddevelopmentperformedinukbusinessesinthecreativeindustriessector2020). More information on these changes is available in the accompanying technical report.

Content

These statistics cover the contributions of the following DCMS sectors to the UK economy;
- Creative Industries
- Cultural Sector
- Gambling
- Sport
- Tourism industries (constructed on a different basis to the tourism sector estimates in our other economic estimates releases)
Users should note that there is overlap between DCMS sector definitions. Estimates are not available for the civil society sector, because they are not identifiable in the data source used for this release.

Tourism industries estimates in this release are constructed on a different basis to the tourism sector estimates in our other economic estimates and will be larger as they take into account the entire industry rather than strictly tourism activity.

The release also includes separate estimates for the audio visual and computer games sectors.

A definition for each sector is available in the published data tables. Further information on all these sectors is available in the associated technical report along with details of methods and data limitations.

Released

These statistics were first published on 18 September 2025.

Official statistics in development - Call for feedback

These statistics are labelled as official statistics in development (https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/policies/official-statistics-policies/official-statistics-in-development/). Official statistics in development are official statistics that are undergoing development and will be tested with users, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/). These R&D estimates are designed to complement our other economic estimates and to give a deeper understanding of the economic performance of DCMS sectors to the UK economy. They are being published as official statistics in development because:
- we will be exploring further improvements, including the feasibility of additional breakdowns.
- we will be seeking user feedback on the usefulness of the statistics, the suitability of the methodology used and how clearly the statistics are communicated, including explanations about quality.
In this release we have introduced a number of improvements, including:
- adding a regional (ITL1) breakdown for DCMS sectors overall (excluding civil society) and for the creative industries. Regional breakdowns for other DCMS sectors and subsectors have not been published because a large proportion of the regional values did not meet the disclosure threshold.
- adding a breakdown for DCMS sectors by employment size of the business (0 to 249 employees and 250 employees and over).
- publishing an accompanying report which includes headline findings and charts to visualise the data.
We expect to make further improvements and implement changes after seeking user feedback. These changes will be made by the next annual R&D release, expected in 2026. At this point we will make an assessment about whether the statistics still remain in development or if the label can be removed.

We welcome feedback on these statistics. We particularly welcome views on:
- the methodology and data sources used
- the presentation of these measures and explanations about the quality of the data
- suggestions for how these statistics could be further improved
- how you are using the estimates
Please contact xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx) by 30 November 2025 with any feedback.

Office for Statistics Regulation

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards by emailing xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx). Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx) or via the OSR website (https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/).

Pre-release access

The accompanying pre-release access document lists ministers and officials who have received privileged early access to this release. In line with best practice, the list has been kept to a minimum and those given access for briefing purposes had a maximum of 24 hours.

Contact

Responsible analyst: Lydia Ndakotsu

For any queries or feedback, please contact xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)