Ministry of Culture is the main source of funding for culture
The Ministry of Culture is responsible for distributing public funds for culture on the basis of an annual plan, which is developed by the Ministry at the end of the year for the following year. The allocation of the overall state budget to different sectors is prescribed by law (annual Law on the National Budget).
The Ministry of Culture is the main source of funding for culture. It provides annual funding to the national cultural (and local) institutions (salaries, investments, running costs such as heating, insurance of equipment, buildings, exhibits, etc.) and for specific programmes/projects on the basis of competitions. The amount of money reserved for the salaries of those employed on a full time basis in cultural institutions represented 39% of the total budget for culture in 2000. This figure decreased to 35% in 2002 and raised to 45.12% in 2005. In 2005, the structure of the cultural budget was: 45.12% for salaries; 2.65% for heating; 0.99% for insurance and other services to the institutions; 2.65% for capital investments (reconstructions, equipment etc.) and 44.24 % for programmes and projects.
In 2020, the share for salaries of those employed on a full time basis in cultural institutions represented 38% of the total budget for culture.
There is no data available for cultural funding of local governments.
Indicators
Table 17: Expenditure for culture and % of state budget 2008-2017
| Year | Ministry of Culture (in million MKD) | Financing of cultural activities (in million MKD) | % for culture in the State Budget |
| 2008 | 501 | 2780 | 2.3 |
| 2009 | 633 | 2570 | 2.3 |
| 2010 | 656 | 2359 | 2.1 |
| 2011 | 280 | 3174 | 2.3 |
| 2012 | 315 | 2801 | 2.0 |
| 2013 | 323 | 3288 | 2.3 |
| 2014 | 337 | 3352 | 2.2 |
| 2015 | 332 | 3696 | 2.2 |
| 2016 | 355 | 3460 | 2.1 |
| 2017 | 359 | 4899 | 2.6 |
Source: National Strategy for Cultural Development in the Republic of North Macedonia 2018-2022
Culture’s share of the central state budget in 2020 was 0.16% (0.12% in 2019) which represents almost the lowest percentage in the past 20 years. On the other hand, the increase in the cultural budget for 2020 was almost 47% higher than the budget for 2019.
Table 18: Cultural expenses as part of GDP, at current prices (in million MKD), 2005-2017
| Year | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2014 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of GDP | 6 155 | 7 124 | 7 495 | 10 548 | 13 296 | 13 643 | 14 464 |
Source: State Statistical Office of the Republic of North Macedonia
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