Public spending in the cultural sector increased by 122.4% between 2013 and 2023, reaching 18.9 billion reais, in nominal value. This pace was higher than that of the general consumer price index (PCAI), which increased by around 109% between January 2014 and December 2023.
The data comes from the Survey of the Information System and Cultural Indicators (2013-2024), published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The study brings together data from different sources to describe the scenario of the Brazilian cultural sector.
“It was only last year that culture really overcame the loss due to inflation. In previous years there was a systematic nominal increase in cultural spending, but below inflation, which leads to a loss of the importance of culture at the top of spending,” explains IBGE analyst Leonardo Athias.
In states and municipalities, spending on culture increased by 84.3% and 175.9%, respectively, between 2013 and 2023. At the federal level, spending decreased by 7.3% during the same period.
The increase in spending at the municipal level was the largest compared to other administrative spheres, with BRL 12.3 billion of resources invested in 2023. In 2013, the value was BRL 4.5 billion.
For Athias, the increase in spending, especially in municipalities, is explained by the impact of policies to encourage culture, such as the Aldir Blanc and Paulo Gustavo laws, created to mitigate the losses caused by the pandemic.
At the municipal level, culture represented 1.09% of public spending, the highest level in the entire historical research series, which began in 2013. In contrast, there was a decline in spending at the state level (from 0.46% in 2013 to 0.39% in 2023) and at the federal level (from 0.09% in 2013 to 0.04% in 2023).
In the consolidated result of the three administrative spheres, the share of cultural resources in total expenditure decreased from 0.40% in 2013 to 0.38% in 2023.
One of the points to watch from now on, according to Athias, will be the evolution of public spending in favor of culture following the adoption of the tax reform, which puts an end to the Services Tax (ISS). “There are also questions, such as concerns about tax reform, the end of the ISS, the added value that is coming, the extent to which specific policies for this purpose (will achieve). There is still a transition period in the coming years, but that is a type of worry,” he said.
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