World Cities Culture Report: 5th Edition Methodology

The 5th Edition of the World Cities Culture Report brings together quantitative and qualitative evidence from 45 cities to create the most comprehensive data report on cities and culture. Building on previous editions (2012, 2015, 2018, 2022), this edition combines city data, city surveys, and city projects as well as policy and regional insights to support cultural policymaking and make the case for investment in culture.  The World Cities Culture Report compiles evidence for the vital contribution that culture makes to cities.

City Consultation

The foundations of this report were shaped by extensive consultation across the World Cities Culture Forum network, including individual interviews with a sample of 13 cities conducted by Bloomberg Associates, and group consultations with our cities and international experts led by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). These consultations:

• Reflected on how cities have used previous editions of the report.
• Identified datasets most valuable for policymaking.
• Shared local approaches to cultural data that informed survey design and the pilot CREATIVE Data Framework.

In addition, dedicated sessions about data and measuring culture were held at the annual World Cities Culture Summit in São Paulo (2023) and Dubai (2024). Over 40 cities participated at these Summits. The sessions informed the development and implementation of the city surveys and the design of the new data framework.

City Survey

A policy survey was developed in consultation with our cities as well as policy experts including Julie’s Bicycle (a non-profit mobilising arts and culture to act on the climate and nature crisis), and VibeLab (a research and advocacy agency supporting nighttime culture and creatives). The survey collected qualitative information such as funding structures, city priorities and questions about each of the thematic areas that are highlighted under the Policy Insights section of the Report. A total of 33 cities responded to the City Survey. Responses to the survey were analysed and used to track trends across the network, while also capturing narratives about challenges, priorities and innovations in each city.

City Projects

Each city was invited to submit at least three projects or programmes that demonstrate best practice in cultural policy or delivery. Guidance was provided to ensure these city projects covered a diverse range of themes, giving a rounded picture of how culture is shaping urban life across different global contexts.

Data Collection and Analysis

Following the city consultation, an updated and expanded set of indicators was developed with the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities.

It resulted in a pilot framework that:

• Captures key contextual and cultural indicators.
• Uses OECD’s internationally recognised sectoral definitions for consistency.
• Supports the use of existing data sources or open-source datasets.
• Allows cities to include additional, locally relevant indicators.

This approach enabled trend analysis where data was comparable, while still reflecting each city’s unique cultural profile. The pilot framework also provided the opportunity to update longitudinal data from previous World Cities Culture Reports where definition or methodology has changed, and also to include data at different geographic scales.

Data collection tutorials created by the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities was provided to cities available in the Partners Hub section of the World Cities Culture Forum website. In addition, individual support was provided where appropriate by World Cities Culture Forum.

Data analysis was led by SMU DataArts in collaboration with World Cities Culture Forum, with support from Bloomberg Associates. SMU DataArts undertook data cleaning, and analysis including exploring correlations, regressions, and aggregated longitudinal trends. Additional data insights and analysis will be published by the World Cities Culture Forum throughout 2026.

CREATIVE Data Framework – Pilot Phase

The CREATIVE Data Framework was developed by World Cities Culture Forum, building on the OECD data framework and organises cultural and creative data into eight thematic categories: Context, Related Sectors, Economy and Employment, Access and Participation, Talent, Infrastructure and Heritage, Value of Investment, and Enabling Policies.

Insights and Literature Review

This drew on academic and policy literature reviews to contextualise data and trends including World Cities Culture Forum’s recent research, Nothing About Us Without Us, African Alternatives, and the Creative Land Trusts: A Practical Guide.

In addition, this report uses insights from wider World Cities Culture Forum activity such as the annual World Cities Culture Summit, the Leadership Exchange Programme and the Night Time Policy Accelerator. It also draws insights from related events including the Creative Land Trust Summit as well as research, webinars and stakeholder interviews. 

A review and analysis of these supported the process to identify priority policy areas and thematic trends relevant to our cities. The insights also directly influenced the questions in the city survey and the selection of key indicators for the data framework.

Steering Group

Our International Report Steering Group provided expert feedback on content and emerging insights, identifying gaps and supporting analysis from a global perspective.

Caveats

The findings of this research reflect the diversity of approaches in how cities define and collect cultural data, as well as gaps where data is less commonly available. In some cases, not every city reported on every data point – the analysis therefore draws on the subset of cities for which data was provided. Additionally, as interest in cultural data grows, methodologies, definitions, and priorities continue to evolve, meaning some figures are not directly comparable with previous editions. The findings in this report should be read as indicative of trends rather than as definitive, fully comparable measures of cultural activities across cities.

CREATIVE Data Framework – Pilot Phase

The lack of reliable data collection and measurement systems still represents a significant obstacle to making the case for culture in cities.

The fragmentation of cultural data, the range of sources and lack of common definitions, results in gaps in quantitative evidence. This can limit culture’s visibility in development strategies and policies, while in others it is addressed through different approaches to data collection and policy design.

This is why, since 2012, the World Cities Culture Forum has brought together the most comprehensive global data set for culture and cities in the World Cities Culture Report, published every three years. Our cities undertake the most ambitious data research for culture, collating existing data and open source data sets.  

Cultural data in cities is evolving. Some cities are pioneering evidence collection approaches and have dedicated cultural data expertise.  For the fifth edition of the World Cities Culture Report, a new data framework was developed and piloted: The CREATIVE Data Framework. It organises cultural and creative data into eight thematic categories: Context, Related Sectors, Economy and Employment, Access and Participation, Talent, Infrastructure and Heritage, Value of Investment, and Enabling Policies.

This new framework is adaptable to different cities’ statistical capacities. It includes a recommended set of indicators and relies on existing data sources, using quantitative data to assess the contribution of culture to cities. It allows cities to add locally relevant measures that reflect their unique context.  This flexibility acknowledges that a creative city can be represented by diverse datasets across the eight categories, depending on local priorities and available sources.

The CREATIVE Data Framework is a tool for cities everywhere. It offers a ready-made structure that cities can use to: 

• Map and interpret existing data.
• Identify data gaps and new sources.
• Inform evidence-based policy making.
• Make the case for investment in culture in cities.
• Communicate and visualise culture’s contribution to a city.
• Benchmark international city data.

The World Cities Culture Report builds a body of data essential for understanding the multiple ways culture contributes to a city’s economic, social and environmental development. By bringing together all the available data from our cities, the CREATIVE Data Framework supports a global overview of the contribution of culture to cities.

The full data set is available here.