The added value of China’s copyright industry reached 8.48 trillion yuan in 2021 with a year-on-year increase of 12.92%, and accounted for 7.41% of GDP with an increase of 0.02 percentage points compared to 2020, according to The Economic Contribution of China’s Copyright Industry in 2021, a research report by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication. Despite the adverse influences of COVID-19, China’s copyright industry has got off to a bright start for the 14th Five-Year Plan period in 2021 by adhering to innovation-driven development and pursuing recovery and smooth operation.

Following the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the National Copyright Administration of China and local copyright administrative departments have implemented the new development philosophy, strived to foster a new development pattern and promoted the high-quality development for copyright industry since the CPC 19th National Congress. From 2017 to 2021, the added value of China’s copyright industry grew from 6.08 trillion yuan to 8.48 trillion yuan with a growth rate of 39.43%, with its proportion in GDP growing from 7.35% to 7.41%, up 0.06 percentage points. The annual growth rate of the industry’s added value in the five years averaged 8.67%, 0.23 percentage points higher than that of nominal GDP in the same period. The copyright industry, growing steadily in size, has further supported the national economic development.

The report showed that in 2021, owe to the balanced management of economic and social development and epidemic control, industries including press and publication, radio, film and television as well as performance have further recovered. In particular, the high and new technology industries represented by software and information technology services and electronic information manufacturing have grown rapidly, driving up the economic contribution of the copyright industry. In 2021, the added value of China’s core copyright industry exceeded 5 trillion yuan (registering 5.36 trillion yuan), up 12.74% year-on-year, accounting for 4.68% of GDP and 63.10% of the whole copyright industry, contributing the most part to copyright industry development.

With steady progress, China’s copyright industry has effectively ensured stability on six key fronts and security in six key areas by significantly assisting businesses, stabilizing employment and creating more jobs. In 2021, the number of urban employees in China’s copyright industry reached 16.17 million, accounting for 9.50% of the total. The foreign trade of China’s copyright industry also made progress while maintaining stability. In 2021, the commodity export of China’s copyright industry reached US$ 457.61 billion, up 17.72% year-on-year, accounting for 13.61% of the total and exceeding 11% for several years in a row.