In this report, Kulturanalys Norden has compiled a survey of Nordic statistics on public expenditure on culture, based on statistical data already published in Table CULT20 in the Nordic Statistics Database (NSD). The survey covers the statistical frameworks used and the data presented and includes a partial overview of compilation procedures. However, no systematic comparison of the more detailed classification of expenditure has been made.
The survey shows that there are Nordic statistics on expenditure on culture that are well harmonised. All countries and autonomous communities, with the exception of Åland, already produce statistics on total public expenditure based on the international framework Classification of the Functions of Government (COFOG). The statistics on culture expenditure in the NSD is an excerpt from this. These statistics are produced in similar ways and the category for culture expenditure, also called division 8, contains no problems of note, and is comparable between countries.
In light of this, the report’s recommendations are mainly about expanding the tables in the NSD with additional information available from Eurostat and from the countries’ national statistics institutes. There are possibilities for expanding the time series by several years, reporting all sub-categories, and reporting expenditure in the countries’ own currencies as well as sub-divided by the different political levels and as a percentage of total public expenditure.
The report also contains an account of other statistics that the countries produce on public expenditure on culture, based on frameworks other than COFOG.