Creative industries in Northern Ireland
An overview of Northern Ireland's vibrant creative industries, including their economic role, challenges, and opportunities for growth.
Northern Ireland is home to a wide range of creative sectors, from world-class film and television productions, such as Game of Thrones, Derry Girls and Line of Duty, to the rapidly growing digital games and design sector. The creative industries play a significant role in the economic development and growth of the region.
Locally, around 39,000 people work in creative industries or occupations. This represents 4.4% of the workforce. Since creative industries rely on individual creativity, skill and talent, they have the potential to:
- create jobs and generate capital
- develop intellectual property
- drive innovation across business sectors
- enhance Northern Ireland's profile worldwide
This guide outlines the shape of the creative sector in Northern Ireland and highlights key opportunities and support available to Northern Ireland's creative businesses.
Creative sector in Northern Ireland
Introduction to the creative industries in Northern Ireland - their sub-sectors, growth and key supporting organisations.
The creative sector in Northern Ireland covers a broad range of business activities. It takes in industries that:
- have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent, and
- have a potential for wealth and job creation by utilising intellectual property
Creative industries sub-sectors
While definitions vary, creative industries typically include:
- advertising
- architecture
- arts and antiques
- computer games
- crafts
- design
- designer fashion
- film
- publishing
- music
- performing arts
- software/digital media
- TV and radio
- cultural heritage (museums, libraries and galleries)
Locally, employment in the creative industries accounted for 39,000 jobs in 2023. This represented 4.4% of total employment in Northern Ireland (source: Creative Industries economic estimates for Northern Ireland 2024).
Strategy for supporting NI creative industries
Government strategies identify innovation, creativity, and research and development as key economic drivers for future growth. While the Department for Communities (DfC) leads on creative industries policy in Northern Ireland, organisations such as the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Invest Northern Ireland play a key role in supporting and nurturing the creative industries across the region.
Creative businesses and employment in Northern Ireland
Key statistics on creative industries employment, number of businesses and economic impact in Northern Ireland.
The creative industries are among the fastest-growing parts of the UK economy and are recognised as one of the key economic drivers for future growth in Northern Ireland.
Creative employment in Northern Ireland
The Department for Communities (DfC) estimates the number of people in creative employment in 2023 in Northern Ireland at 39,000 or 4.4% of the local workforce.
This includes:
- employees and self-employed individuals working within creative industries
- those doing creative jobs outside the sector
IT software and computer services make up the largest group, employing around 17,000 jobs in 2022.
Creative businesses in Northern Ireland
In 2024, there were 3,695 creative business sites in Northern Ireland, accounting for 3.9% of all business units in Northern Ireland, up 8.8% since 2019.
Northern Ireland had around 93,000 business sites across all sectors in 2024 (estimated from growth trends).
Economic impact of creative industries in Northern Ireland
The creative industries generated £1,601 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2022, equivalent to 3.2% of Northern Ireland’s total GVA. GVA grew 8.0% between 2021-2022 (accounting for inflation), compared with 2.9% growth for the wider economy. Over 2019-2022, creative GVA rose 27.4% (vs 13.9% economy-wide).
IT software and computer services contributed £1,072 million - the largest share - and employed 17,000 people in 2022. Among sub-sectors, museums, galleries and libraries saw the biggest GVA increase (53.8% from 2021-2022).
Source: The Department for Communities bulletin on key economic estimates for the creative industries for Northern Ireland.
Challenges and opportunities in Northern Ireland creative sector
Opportunities for creative businesses in Northern Ireland, and the challenges they face.
The creative industries are one of the fastest-growing sectors of the UK economy. offering major opportunities for Northern Ireland film, TV, games and digital markets.
Opportunities for the creative businesses
Creative industries in Northern Ireland have great potential to create jobs and exports, attract investment, drive innovation, entertain audiences and boost tourism and international reputation. They are supported by the Department for Communities and other development agencies offering grants, training and business support.
Read about the support and funding for creative businesses in Northern Ireland.
Challenges for the creative businesses
Despite its strong creative talent, the sector faces several challenges, including:
- global competition - from emerging international creative hubs
- small scale - many NI creative businesses are microenterprises or sole traders
- access to finance and investment - particularly for micro and early-stage businesses
- intellectual property protection and monetisation
- skills gaps in emerging areas like AI-driven design and virtual production, despite strong talent pools from universities and academies
Access to affordable workspace and reliable digital infrastructure also remains a barrier to many in the region. Yet the sector's core strength - individual creativity, talent and innovation - consistently drives breakthroughs, from viral digital content to global cultural exports, positioning creative businesses for long-term resilience and impact.