We’ve recently been reflecting on the size and scale of the Creative & Digital Sectors in Dundee using publicly available data from The Scottish Government’s Industry Statistics.

As an organisation which amplifies and connects creativity, we wanted to find and share other ways to demonstrate the Creative & Digital Industries value and the opportunity for the sector and our city. Spending time collating this data, we feel it’s now useful to share these findings as a short summary report.

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This report is augmented by the UK Government’s recently published Creative Industries Sector Plan (23 June 2025). The plan highlights that Dundee is one of twelve high‑potential Creative Cluster cities/regions in the UK. Creative ecosystems are acknowledged as being important within Creative Clusters, as the sector is interconnected, “made up predominantly of SMEs and micro businesses” and “freelancers and creative workers play a key role in the sector’s dynamism”. 

Creative Dundee’s own analysis of our local Creative & Digital Industries found that Dundee has exceptional creative density, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a compact and productive creative ecosystem with a number of key Creative & Digital Industries strengths.

We feel there is a significant opportunity to now leverage our regional advantage by further prioritising the Creative & Digital Industries to strengthen, sustain and grow the sector.

However, the contents of this short summary report do not illustrate the vast social impacts, partnerships and multiplier benefits that a vibrant creative sector brings for our city’s residents and visitors. 

Investing in our creative ecosystem and infrastructure is essential. Creative freelancers, businesses and cultural organisations are crucial to the city’s future — impacting our quality of life, sense of identity, health and wellbeing, education, tourism and business innovation.

For Creative Dundee this intersection is key to true, long-term inclusive prosperity.

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Key Sector Attributes:

1. Dundee’s leading sector by turnover: generated more total turnover, £353.4M, than any other Scottish Government growth sector in the latest 2022 report. This turnover details the Creative & Digital Industries only, not the much broader Creative Economy. 

2. Grown by nearly 100% from £178.3M in 2008 to £353.4M turnover in 2022; with significant growth post–2020, demonstrating creative and digital resilience during and post COVID.

3. High levels of employment: 3,530 people are employed within Dundee’s creative sector (2023). This does not capture those jobs outside of the SIC code (Standard Industrial Classification), such as Further and Higher Education staff.

4. High levels of freelancers, micro businesses and SMEs: of the 245 registered creative businesses based in Dundee (2024), 225 have 0–49 employees and within this 100 have 0 employees. Total numbers of freelancers who file HMRC self assessments are not publicly available so unfortunately are not represented. 

5. Globally recognised Further and Higher Education provision: circa 260 employed and 3,963 students across creative and digital departments within the three academic institutions – data supplied by each institution to Creative Dundee in May 2025.