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Guidance

DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates Methodology

The Economic Estimates series include Official and Accredited Official Statistics published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Published:
4 August 2016
Last updated:
21 October 2025
Show all updates

  1. Table 1a in the Goods product codes definitions table has been updated to include the full list of commodity codes

  2. Updated definitions guidance and tables. Methodology information is available in the technical reports published alongside each Economic Estimates statistical release.

  3. Added a link to a survey that the digital analysis team is currently running so that respondents can verify it is a DCMS product

  4. Edited chapter 5 of Methodology note - technical information on regional GVA methodology is now available in the technical report published alongside the latest release.

  5. Moved the Monthly GVA technical guidance. This is now published alongside the DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates: Monthly GVA releases.

  6. Edited monthly GVA technical guidance - addition of further information to assist understanding.

  7. Converted Methodology note to accessible format. Added guidance on producing Monthly GVA estimates for DCMS sectors. Edited chapter 2 of Methodology note - Standard Industrial Classifications used in DCMS sector estimates are now available in separate tables published alongside the guidance. Edited chapter 4 and 5 - technical information on GVA methodology is now available in the technical report published alongside the latest release.

  8. This document has been updated on 13th February 2019 to include further information on the Regional GVA statistics publication.

  9. Updated the methodology document for the 2017 Business Demographics publication.

  10. This document has been updated on 28th November 2018 to include further clarification of the overlaps between DCMS sectors and an update on GVA estimates.

  11. Addition of definitions for audio visual and computer games sectors.

  12. This publication was revised on 6th August to correct an error in 2010 and 2011 figures for Creative Industries, Cultural Sector and All DCMS Sectors figures

  13. Interactive tool to identify goods product codes within DCMS Sectors and sub-sectors has been added.

  14. Update to include new release on Regional GVA.

  15. Updated Methodology note

  16. Detail about constituent SIC codes has been added.

  17. First published.

Documents

DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates Definitions

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DCMS Sector Economic Estimates: Sector and Sub-sector definitions

ODS, 14.1 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

DCMS Sector Economic Estimates: Sector and Sub-sector Goods product codes definitions

ODS, 30.9 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Details

About

These documents set out the definitions used in the DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates. Detailed methodological information for DCMS Sector Economic Estimates is available in the technical reports published alongside each statistical release. 

The Economic Estimates series include official and accredited official statistics published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). These Economic Estimates are used to provide an estimate of the contribution of DCMS sectors to the UK economy, measured by gross value added (GVA), productivity, employment, earnings, imports and exports of services and goods, number of businesses, and R&D expenditure.

These statistics cover the contributions of the following DCMS sectors to the UK economy:

  • Civil Society
  • Creative Industries
  • Cultural Sector
  • Gambling
  • Sport
  • Tourism

We also publish Economic Estimates for the audio visual sector, computer games subsector and arts and antiques market.

A list of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes in each DCMS sector and subsector is published here and is also available in all Economic Estimates data tables. More detailed information about sector definitions, along with details of methods and data limitations, is available in the associated technical report published alongside each statistical release.

Unlike other Economic Estimates which are defined using SIC codes and focus on whether the industry doing business is part of a DCMS sector, trade in goods estimates are defined using 8-digit Combined Nomenclature (CN) commodity codes and focus is on whether the good, or commodity, is a DCMS sector ‘good’. A list of 8-digit CN codes in each DCMS sector is published on this page.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards by emailing evidence@dcms.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

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