Turkey's cultural expenditure on rise in 2017

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey spent 44 billion Turkish liras ($12 billion) for cultural activities in 2017, with 19.4-percent rise from the previous year, the nation’s statistical authority said on Friday.

The government expenditures amounted to 64.2 percent of sum while the rest -- 35.8 percent -- was spent by private bodies, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

"The ratio of cultural expenditures to gross domestic product remained same in 2017 compared to 1.4 percent in 2016," the TurkStat said.

General government cultural spending reached 28.3 billion Turkish liras ($7.8 billion) last year, up 26.1 percent on a yearly basis.

The institute said that the cultural expenditures for household increased by 8.7 percent year-on-year to reach 15.3 billion liras ($4.2 billion) in 2017.

Most of the household expenditure was made on television-TV broadcasting with 31.2 percent.

It was followed by books, newspapers and magazines with 14.7 percent, and wired/private TV broadcasting service charges with 12 percent.

Data processing equipment got 10.9 percent, while stationery and drawing materials had 10.1 percent and cinema, theater and concert 5.6 percent share.

- Cultural goods exports up 28.9 percent

Turkey's exports of cultural goods rose 28.9 percent from 19.1 billion Turkish liras ($6.3 billion) in 2016 to 24.7 billion Turkish liras ($6.8 billion) in 2017, according to data.

Cultural goods' share of Turkey's overall exports was 4.3 percent last year.

Handcrafts took the lion's share of Turkish cultural good exports in 2017 with generating 17.9 billion Turkish liras ($4.9 billion) of revenue.