Canada has a rich art culture which has been shaped by the many cultures and ethnicities that make up the Canadian population. The art sector includes several sub-sectors, which include dance, theatre, music, and visual arts. The sector is not only important as a source of culture and enrichment, but also economically.
In this article, you will find statistical information on the art scene in Canada. We have included statistics on the economic impact of arts in Canada, visitors to arts venues, and the number of Canadians who make or perform art.
Art and Culture Statistics for Canadians
- 99.5% of Canadians aged 15 or over participate in arts and culture activities.
- Half of Canadians make or perform art.
- Over 9 million Canadians attended an arts festival or performance in 2016.
- ⅖ of Canadians attend live theatre and/ or comedy shows.
- Pop music concerts were attended by 42% of Canadians and classical music concerts by 16% of Canadians in 2016.
- Approximately one in five Canadians attend heritage or ethnic arts performances.
- 20% of Canadians attended other types of arts performances, including dance, opera, or book and poetry readings.
- Art galleries and museums are visited by almost 40% of Canadians.
- There are more than 200,000 professional artists in Canada.
- Almost 70% of Canada’s professional artists are self-employed.
- Seven out of ten Canadians said they were worried about the survival of cultural and arts organisations during COVID-19.
Almost 100% of Canadians Participate in Arts and Culture
If we include going to a movie or reading a book as a way of engaging with the arts, then 99.5% of the Canadian population over 15 years of age participated in a form of art, culture, or heritage activity in 2016.
According to Statistical Insights on the Arts, arts attendance was very high in 2016 when 86% of Canadians visited an art gallery or went to an arts performance, cultural event, festival, or movie theatre. If we exclude going to a movie theatre from the activities, the proportion of Canadians who attended cultural and arts events remains high at 73%.
Going to a movie theatre was the most popular activity with 71% of Canadians over 15 years of age reporting they had seen a film at a movie theatre in 2016.
In 2016, 42% of Canadians had been to a pop music concert and 40% had attended a live theatre or comedy show. 39% of the population had visited a public art gallery, while 20% had attended a heritage or ethnic performance, 31% an artistic or cultural festival, and 16% a classical music concert.
Many Canadians Engage in Making or Performing Arts
Many Canadians make or perform arts and crafts practices are the most popular art form. In 2016, 14.8 million Canadians over 15 years of age made or performed art. At the time, this represented 50% of the over-15 population in Canada.
18% of the population, accounting for around 5.2 people aged 15 or older, made some form of craft work. Music was the second most popular art form with 15%, approximately 4.3 million Canadians, practising or performing music. Visual arts came in third with 13% or 3.8 million people reporting they engaged in visual art creation in 2016.
3.2 million Canadians, accounting for 11% of the over-15 population engaged in writing, 9% (2.7 million people) danced, 4% (2.7 million people) created audio-visual and interactive media, and 1.4% (411,000 people) performed theatre.
Art Festivals and Performances
In 2016, 9.1 million Canadians, which at the time accounted for 31% of the population over 15 years old, attended an art festival or performance, such as comedy, jazz, folk, or film. 27% of the over-15 population attended an art festival or performance up to four times in 2016, while 2% attended on five or more occasions but not every month. Another 2% of the population reported attending arts performances and festivals at least once a month.
Attendance figures show that more Canadians were attending art festivals and performances in 2016 than in 1998. In 1998, 25% of Canadians attended art festivals and performances compared to 31% of the population in 2016. However, the highest attendance rate of 37% was recorded in 2010.
Live Theatre and Comedy
40% of Canadians over 15 years of age reported attending a live theatre or comedy show in 2016, accounting for 11.6 million Canadians. Most of the Canadians who attended live theatre or comedy shows did it between once and four times in 2016 34%. 4% of Canadians attended five or more times but not monthly and 2% attended at least once every month.
The data collected in 2010 and 2016 shows a small decrease in live theatre and comedy show attendance from 44% to 40%. This was mainly because the proportion of frequent theatregoers fell from 9% to 4%.
Live Music Performances
46% of Canadians attended live music performances in 2016 (not including festivals). This was approximately 13.6 million people. Pop music performances had the highest attendance at 42%, while 16% attended a classical music performance.
Canadians were most likely to go to a pop music performance up to four times in a year (35%), while 4% attended frequently (five times or more but not every month). 3% of Canadians reported attending live music performances at least once a month.
Among those who attended classical music concerts, 13% went between one and four times a year, 2% attended up to 11 times per year, and 1% at least once per month.
Heritage and Ethnic Performances
Heritage and ethnic performances include, for example, dance, theatre, or music performances by Indigenous Peoples or people from other ethnic groups such as Chinese, Indian, or Ukrainian. In 2016, 20% of the Canadian population attended a heritage or ethnic art performance.
18% of Canadians said they had been to heritage or ethnic performance up to four times in a year, while 1% attended up to 11 times in a year and another 1% at least once every month.
Other Cultural Performances
The category of other cultural performances includes subcategories such as poetry readings, dance performances, opera, and book readings. These art forms were not included in their own categories in the 2016 survey on arts and culture attendance in Canada and can therefore be included as “other” cultural performances.
In 2016, 20% of the Canadian population attended cultural performances other than the ones specified in the survey. 17% of Canadians who attended other cultural performances did so between one and four times per year. 2% attended between five and eleven times per year and 1% attended more than twelve times in a year. Attendance increased by 2 percentage points between 2010 and 2016.
Art Galleries
In 2016, public art galleries and art museums were visited by 39% of Canadians aged 15 years or older. This percentage includes people who visited special art exhibitions. 33% of Canadians reported they had visited an art gallery or museum at least four times a year, while 4% reported visiting between five and eleven times, and 2% had visited more frequently at least once a month.
Canada Has Over 200,000 Professional Artists
According to the latest Canadian census date, Canada is home to 202,900 professional artists. This accounts for approximately 1% of all workers in Canada. In other words, every 1 worker in 102 is an artist. However, there may be more Canadians making money from arts as the nature of artists’ workflow can make identifying artists as professional artists in statistical surveys.
Looking more broadly, approximately 914,000 Canadians work in the arts, culture, and heritage sector, which accounts for 4.4% of the labour force in Canada.
Most Canadian Professional Artists Are Self-Employed
In Canada, artists are more likely to be self-employed than on permanent contracts. According to the 2021 census, 68% of Canadian artists are self-employed. In comparison, 33% of cultural workers and 14% of the overall workforce are self-employed.
The Earnings of Canadian Artists Are Lower Than the Canadian Average
In Canada, artists are likely to earn less than the general working population. In 2020, a typical Canadian artist had a yearly income of just $30,200. This is 39% lower than the median annual income of the overall working population, which in 2020 was $49,600. Cultural workers fared better than artists and had a median personal annual income of $46,400. However, this was still 6% lower than the overall median income.
It is important to note that this data is from the 2021 census and is based on earnings during the 2020 calendar year. This was a year that was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and would have severely changed the earning potential for many artists, especially those who perform for live audiences.
One in Seven Canadians Worried About Arts and Culture in 2021
According to data published by Statista from August 2021, the majority of Canadians worried whether arts and culture organisations would be able to survive past the pandemic. Overall, 70% of Canadians were worried about the future of arts and culture organisations.
Atlantic Canadians, at 80.4%, were the most likely to worry if the organisations would survive until pandemic measures were completely lifted. They were followed by residents of British Columbia at 72.2%, Ontario at 68.1%, and Quebec at 67.3%. The residents in the Prairie Provinces were the least likely to worry about the future of art and culture organisations at 66.2%.
Conclusion
Statistics show that arts and culture are important to Canadians with virtually every Canadian over 15 years of age taking part in some form of art or cultural activity. Not including watching a movie or reading a book, almost seven in ten Canadians attend art and culture festivals and performances.
Artists in Canada are likely to earn considerably less annually compared to the overall workforce in Canada. In 2020, their median income was almost 40% lower than the median income for all workers. Canadian artists are also more likely to be self-employed, making their income less secure than the average worker.
While many Canadians were worried about the future of arts and culture organisations in Canada following the pandemic, the art scene seems to have bounced back since all the restrictions were lifted. Once new data on arts and culture in Canada is released, we will update this article accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Canadians make or perform art?
Making or performing art is fairly popular in Canada with 50% of Canadians aged 15 or over engaging in some form of making or performing art. The most popular art form is crafts, followed by music and visual arts.
How much do artists make in Canada?
How much an artist makes varies widely depending on the art form and the popularity of their work. However, on average, artists make around $30,200 per year, which is considerably lower than the average for all workers at nearly $50,000.
How many Canadians attend art and culture events?
Almost 70% of Canadians report attending some type of art and cultural events. Not including going to the movies, 73% of Canadians attended a cultural or arts event in 2016.
How was the art and culture scene affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
The art and culture scene was one of the most severely affected sectors during the pandemic as arts and culture venues were closed and events cancelled. This affected Canadian artists who performed live the most. However, since the pandemic, it seems that Canadians have returned to live venues and the industry is recovering but no new art and culture attendance have been released yet on this side of the pandemic.