Internationalisation
The UK’s Creative Industries have created globally recognised brands, products and services; from the James Bond franchise, to pop super stars like Girls Aloud or the Beatles. Despite this, there’s a lack of evidence on key aspects of international trade, such as the relative strengths of the UK’s creative industries in different global markets.
The Internationalisation State of the Nations reports provide regular overviews of international activity of the UK’s creative industries, . Key areas include international trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and migration.
Internationalisation is a strand of the State of the Nations research series.
The reports
Will the Creative Exporters Please Stand Up?
Published December 2025
This report examines how the share of creative industries firms who export increased by 10 percentage points over six years from 15% to 25%, whereas for other industries exporting stayed static at around 9%. Exporting firms are also shown to be more profitable and therefore policy interventions that grow the share of UK creative industries exporters could be an important way for the government to achieve its growth ambitions.
Migration in UK Creative Occupations and Industries
Published June 2025
This report outlines how important it is that the migration system works to meet the sector’s needs as one of the Government’s priority growth sectors. From architecture to video games and digital design, the sector is internationally connected, innovation-driven, and highly reliant on an exceptionally skilled workforce (with over 75% of workers having a degree), while also facing big skills shortages.
Foreign Direct Investment in the UK’s Creative Industries
Published November 2024
With the UK Government’s forthcoming industrial strategy highlighting the creative industries as a key sector for both investment and growth, this new report on ‘Foreign Direct Investment’ couldn’t be timelier.
This State of the Nations report confirms the UK’s global position as a world-leading destination for FDI into the creative industries, yet points to a decline in creative sector FDI into the UK from a peak in 2019; suggesting the need for the Industrial Strategy to focus on initiatives for both attracting inward and generating outward FDI as a policy priority.
UK Trade in a Global Creative Economy
Published March 2024
This report is the second in our State of the Nations series, and the first in a series assessing the international outlook of the UK’s creative industries, with a focus on exports.
The report shows the UK’s creative service exports continued to rise over the 2010 – 2021 period despite the headwinds from Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. The report confirms the UK’s creative industries are an export success story but warns against complacency, as the findings suggest there is increased global competition from markets such as China.
Further reading
Policy Brief: Migration in UK Creative Occupations and Industries
Overview The UK’s creative industries are internationally oriented, a fact that’s reflected in its e…
Policy Brief: Foreign Direct Investment in the UK’s Creative Industries
Read the Policy Brief based on the most recent State of the Nations Report on FDI.
Policy Brief: International Trade and the UK Creative Industries
This policy brief examines international trade in the UK creative industries. Drawing on our UK Trad…
Back the creative industries to grow the economy, says new research showing creative firms are more likely to be innovators and exporters
New research finds a higher share of UK creative MSMEs are exporters compared with the rest of the e…
Highly skilled, international talent helps fuel UK creative industries growth, finds new report
Embargoed 9am (UK time) Tuesday 10 June 2025 As the dust settles on the UK government’s Immigration …
Invest at scale in place-based approaches to unleash potential of ‘Foreign Direct Investment’ in UK’s creative industries says new research
Embargoed 00.01 Wednesday 20 November 2024 GMT With the UK Government’s forthcoming industrial strat…
Press Release: UK’s creative industries are an export success story
New report shows creative strength despite Brexit and Covid Embargoed 00.01 Wednesday 20 March 2024,…
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