World Cities Culture Report 5th Edition: culture as a driver of sustainable urban development
The World Cities Culture Forum released the 5th edition of their World Cities Culture Report in October 2025, which showcases key findings, policy insights, and regional insights into how cultural policy is contributing to urban development across the world, with more than 125 examples of city projects provided. The last report was published in 2022 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on how cities had responded to its challenges.
Some of the findings of the report include:
- In 2025, 40% of residents report having visited a museum, with 35% of respondents stating that they attended a live music event, and 46% going to another form of live performance.
- Cities hosted an estimated 1.3 billion tourists, emphasising the close links between culture and tourism but also highlighting the threat of tourism to the quality of life of a city’s residents and infrastructure.
- The average number of employees in creative companies is 7, highlighting the continuing and growing need for affordable and flexible workspaces in urban areas.
The report is also accompanied by a useful data explorer tool in which users can delve into diverse indicators of cultural and creative data from regions and cities around the world, which are split into thematic categories such as context, economy & employment, access & participation, infrastructure, and enabling policies.