Culture 2026 Data Release
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) has released its 2026 data on spending related to culture and natural heritage. This update includes new data and indicators to help track progress towards target 11.4, which focuses on preserving global heritage.
SDG 11.4.1 on Expenditure on Culture and Natural Heritage
Updated national data are available for SDG 11.4.1 (Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage) and its disaggregation (by source of funding, type of heritage and level of government) for the reference year 2024 (or the latest available). These data were collected through the UIS 2025 Survey of Expenditure on Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The total number of responding countries increased threefold, rising from 30 in the initial 2020 survey cycle to 92 in the last Cycle. This shows that countries are increasing their capacity to provide data on both public and private investments aimed at protecting and preserving heritage to better monitor the SDG Target 11.4.1.
Among the countries with available data, the majority gathered data on public spending for heritage, with amounts ranging from under 1 PPP dollar constant 2017 per person to over 500 PPP dollars per person (Figure 1).
Of the countries considered, Europe and Northern America report the highest median per capita expenditure at 93 PPP$, which is significantly greater than that observed in other regions. However, this figure masks considerable disparities in expenditure across the region, with per capita spending ranging from as little as 3 PPP dollars to over 500 PPP dollars.
Due to the nature of the data, analysis should focus on the trend rather than on the figure itself. As shown in Figure 2, after the substantial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, spending on heritage preservation has kept increasing for certain countries up to 2024, whereas it has decreased for others. In particular, 57% of countries reported increased investment in 2024 relative to 2021. The figure also illustrates contrasting trends within SDG regions: some increased their public investment in cultural and natural preservation, while others decreased it.
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