• Home
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
    • Advertise On IP Watch
    • Editorial Calendar
  • Videos
  • Links
  • Help

Intellectual Property Watch

Original news and analysis on international IP policy

  • Copyright
  • Patents
  • Trademarks
  • Opinions
  • People News
  • Venues
    • Bilateral/Regional Negotiations
    • ITU/ICANN
    • United Nations – other
    • WHO
    • WIPO
    • WTO/TRIPS
    • Africa
    • Asia/Pacific
    • Europe
    • Latin America/Caribbean
    • North America
  • Themes
    • Access to Knowledge/ Open Innovation & Science
    • Food Security/ Agriculture/ Genetic Resources
    • Finance
    • Health & IP
    • Human Rights
    • Internet Governance/ Digital Economy/ Cyberspace
    • Lobbying
    • Technical Cooperation/ Technology Transfer
  • Health Policy Watch

UNCTAD Finds Growth In Global Creative Economy Led By ‘New Breed’ Of Countries

15/01/2019 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

In a new report on the creative economy, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) found that despite a slowdown in global trade since the 2008 financial crisis, the creative economy has remained robust and has exhibited significant growth. Leading this growth is China, with four times the creative goods exports as the United States in 2015.

The UNCTAD report Creative Economy Outlook: Trends in international trade in creative industries 2002-2015 [pdf] was released this week. It is the second UNCTAD report on the creative economy, but the first that also tracks trade in creative services, not just goods, according to an UNCTAD press release.

In addition to identifying trends in the global creative economy, the report also “features the independent profiles of 130 countries, observers, territories and non-state entities that have reported on their trade in creative goods and services.”

“While the financial crisis affected the creation, production and distribution of creative goods,” the report found that, overall, the creative economy’s “trade performance has generally been consistent, with an average growth rate exceeding 7 per cent between 2002 and 2015.”

According to the report, China is leading this growth, with “an annual average growth rate of 14 per cent for creative goods exports during the period 2002-2015.” By 2015, this rate of growth translated into creative goods exports amounting to “four times that of the United States, totaling $168.5 billion.”

Source: UNCTAD Creative Economy Outlook report

In addition to China, the report found that many other developing countries have exhibited significant growth of trade in creative goods during this period, with countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia driving this growth through South-South trade.

Source: UNCTAD Creative Economy Outlook report

The report refers to these developing countries as “the dynamic South,” and states that this “new breed of energetically growing developing countries is taking a more significant place in world trade and investment.”

Trade in creative goods covered by the UNCTAD report fall into the categories of art crafts; audiovisuals; design; digital fabrication; new media; performing arts; and publishing and visual arts.

Trade in creative services covered by the report include, but are not limited to, advertising, market research and public opinion services; architectural, engineering and other technical services; research and development services; personal, cultural and recreational services; and audiovisual and related services.

The report explains that data on creative services “is more complex to process,” in part due to gaps in data from developing countries, which it explains “does not necessarily mean that developing economies do not have thriving creative services markets and imports and exports, but rather that developing economies could improve their reporting on creative services.”

Source: UNCTAD Creative Economy Outlook report

In addition to identifying trends that point to the resilience of the creative economy in recent years, the report is also forward-looking, asserting that “there is significant scope to activate creative economies by leveraging digital disruption and new technologies,” and that this “digital and creative convergence is paving the pathway into the future.”

“Digital disruption looks set to completely reshape trade, and the world as we know it,” the report concludes, noting that it will be “critical that developing countries plan by paying attention to emerging trends and move quickly, and sustainably, to catch the digital headwinds.”

 

Image Credits: UNCTAD

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

David Branigan may be reached at davidbranigan@gmail.com.

Creative Commons License"UNCTAD Finds Growth In Global Creative Economy Led By ‘New Breed’ Of Countries" by Intellectual Property Watch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Filed Under: IP Policies, Language, Subscribers, Themes, Venues, Asia/Pacific, Copyright Policy, Development, English, Information and Communications Technology/ Broadcasting, New Technologies, Regional Policy, United Nations - other

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
My Tweets

IPW News Briefs

Saudis Seek Alternative Energy Partners Through WIPO Green Program

Chinese IP Officials Complete Study Of UK, European IP Law

Perspectives on the US

In US, No Remedies For Growing IP Infringements

US IP Law – Big Developments On The Horizon In 2019

More perspectives on the US...

Supported Series: Civil Society And TRIPS Flexibilities

Civil Society And TRIPS Flexibilities Series – Translations Now Available

The Myth Of IP Incentives For All Nations – Q&A With Carlos Correa

Read the TRIPS flexibilities series...

Paid Content

Interview With Peter Vanderheyden, CEO Of Article One Partners

More paid content...

IP Delegates in Geneva

  • IP Delegates in Geneva
  • Guide to Geneva-based Public Health and IP Organisations

All Story Categories

Other Languages

  • Français
  • Español
  • 中文
  • اللغة العربية

Archives

  • Archives
  • Monthly Reporter

Staff Access

  • Writers

Sign up for free news alerts

This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Global Policy Reporting

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.