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Rio's Creative Industry generates R$41 billion and already represents 8% of the city's GDP, reveals a study by the Rio City Hall and Firjan.
Published on 01/06/2026 - 18:57 | Updated
Porto Maravalley is the city's innovation and technology hub. Photo: Rafael Catarcione / Rio City Hall A groundbreaking study, "Mapping the Creative Industry of Rio de Janeiro," produced by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall through the Municipal Secretariats of Culture (SMC) and Economic Development (SMDE), and Riotur, in partnership with the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan), identified that creative companies in the capital of Rio de Janeiro generated approximately R$ 41 billion in 2025. This value represented 8% of Rio's GDP. The data will be released at Rio2C, a Latin American creativity and innovation event, taking place from May 26th to 31st at Cidade das Artes.
Research indicates that Rio de Janeiro ranks second among Brazilian capitals, behind only São Paulo, in the number of creative companies. The survey shows that, in 2023, Rio de Janeiro had 5.245 creative companies responsible for generating almost 100 direct jobs. The total wages of workers in the creative economy in the city reached approximately R$ 1,3 billion, equivalent to 10,7% of the municipality's total formal wages.
During that period, the number of creative companies in Rio de Janeiro represented 62,5% of the state total and 5% of the national total. Meanwhile, the number of jobs in this sector in the city of Rio represented 7,9% of the national total and 74,8% of the state total.
– Creativity is part of the identity of Rio de Janeiro residents and also a competitive advantage for the city. Rio de Janeiro has consolidated the creative economy as one of the main drivers of the municipality's development, responsible for generating R$ 41 billion per year and almost R$ 1 billion in ISS (Service Tax) revenue. This is a strategic sector that combines innovation, culture, technology and entrepreneurship, strengthening our ability to attract investment, tourism, talent and major events – emphasizes the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Cavaliere.
– This discussion and study on the Creative Industry and Economy is of utmost importance to Rio de Janeiro. Our city occupies a central place in shaping Brazil's image. We project a unique soft power to the country and the world, a result of our creative, cultural, and heritage capacity, as well as our lifestyle – adds the president of Firjan, Luiz Césio Caetano.
Among the administrative regions, Centro, Barra da Tijuca, Zona Portuária, Botafogo, and Jacarepaguá concentrate the largest number of workers in creative companies. The regions most specialized in the sector are: Porto Maravilha, Ilha do Governador, Lagoa, Ramos, and Barra da Tijuca.
– The prominence of the Port region in the creative specialization indicator is directly related to the recent process of economic revitalization of the region and the consolidation of the Porto Maravalley project, which aims to transform the port region into a hub of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship, highlights the municipal secretary of Economic Development of the City of Rio, Osmar Lima.
Between 2022 and 2023, the Culture segment led the growth of the creative sector in the city, with an increase of 11,4%, followed by Technology, which grew by 7,5%. The survey also indicates that Rio has 97.996 creative individual micro-entrepreneurs (MEIs), equivalent to 5,7% of the national total and 52,7% of the state total.
– Culture plays a strategic role in the development of Rio de Janeiro, both in valuing the city's identity and in generating opportunities, urban occupation, and boosting the economy. Projects such as Reviver Cultural, Rio's Arts Week, the new funding opportunities, and the Library of Knowledge reinforce the City Hall's commitment to expanding access to culture, strengthening Rio's cultural network, and transforming the city center into an increasingly vibrant, creative hub connected to the population – says Rio's Municipal Secretary of Culture, Lucas Padilha.
Between 2020 and 2025, the actual revenue from the Service Tax (ISS) for creative activities increased by 74,3% in the city of Rio, jumping from approximately R$ 572 million to almost R$ 1 billion.
– Discussions on the creative economy are also intertwined with urban planning, particularly regarding revitalization strategies and the formation of creative hubs and districts. This interrelation between creativity, urban development, and economic growth takes on concrete forms in the municipality. The city combines creative productive density, cultural diversity, international visibility, and a set of structuring projects capable of reorganizing flows, attracting investments, and creating economic centers. The most evident example is the Porto Maravilha region – says Julia Zardo, consultant in Innovation Environments at Casa Firjan and one of those responsible for the Mapping project.
The full study is available on the Economic Observatory website, at the following link: https://observatorioeconomico.rio/
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