Creative Economy: A Feasible Development Option

Chart 5.6AlldevelopingeconomiesAsiaAmericaAfricaCreative goods: Exports from all developingeconomies, 2002 and 2008Source: UNCTAD, based on official data reported to UN COMTRADE databaseTable 5.8Rank20082002(in billion of $)0 50 100 150 200ExporterCreative goods: Top 10 exporters amongdeveloping economies, 2008Value (inmillions of $)Marketshare (%)2008 20081 China 84,807 20.84 16.922 China, Hong Kong SAR 33,254 8.17 6.333 India 9,450 2.32 15.704 Turkey 5,369 1.32 14.965 Mexico 5,167 1.27 9.136 Thailand 5,077 1.25 10.317 Singapore 5,047 1.24 5.998 United Arab Emirates 4,760 1.17 44.779 Korea, Republic of 4,272 1.05 1.0510 Malaysia 3,524 0.87 12.86Source: UNCTAD, based on official data in UN COMTRADE databaseIn Latin America and the Caribbean, exports of creativegoods almost doubled, from approximately $5.5 billionto $9 billion, although the level of exports from the regionremains comparatively low given the potential of its creativeindustries. Only Mexico figures among the top 20 exporters.The region’s other major exporters are Brazil, Colombia andArgentina. In the Caribbean, total exports of all creativegoods amounted to $57 million in 2008. The DominicanRepublic was the largest exporter in the region, followed byBarbados and Trinidad and Tobago.Growthrate (%)2003-2008Africa contributed marginally (0.6 per cent in2008) to world exports of creative goods eventhough African exports of creative goods increasedfrom $740 million to $2.2 billion during the period2002-2008. Egypt was the largest African exporter,followed by South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco andMauritius. Egypt for the first time reported a considerableamount of exports of creative goods in 2008.Indeed, the weak presence of Africa in global marketsreflects not only the limited supply capacity onthe continent but also the fact that the great majorityof creative and cultural production in Africa takesplace in the informal sector, where statistics are hardto come by.Very limited data are available for the world’s leastdeveloped countries (LDCs). However, existing datafrom the few reporting LDCs demonstrate theoverwhelming importance of creative industriesin countries such as Cambodia, Mali,Senegal and the United Republic of Tanzania.The same observation is valid for the smallisland developing States (SIDS).The list of major exporters from developingeconomies is led by China, also the world’sleading exporting country. It should be noted,however, that 9 of the top 10 exporters ofcreative goods among developing economiesare in Asia, as shown in table 5.8. Mexico is theonly other nation to make the list, occupyingfifth place. For the moment, African creativeproducts are very under-represented in worldmarkets despite the great potential of thecreative economy for the continent. 35.3.4 Trade balance in creative goodsComparing the export and import statistics for individualcountries can indicate whether a country has tradesurplus or deficit. For creative goods, China has posted highesttrade surplus, which increased from $29 billion in 2002to $79 billion in 2008 due to a dramatic surge in exports.The United States, conversely, registered a massive trade5International trade in creative goods and services: Global trends and features3 The existing statistical records of some developing countries need substantial improvement; data collection needs to be systematic, and comparable nomenclatures and standard statisticalcodes need to be used. Otherwise, the difficulties in assessing the participation of developing countries in world trade of creative industry products will remain.CREATIVE ECONOMY REPORT 2010133