Taking the Temperature Report #03

Author: British Council, the Art X Company and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ·16 Sep 2025

Topics

Financial Management

Legal and Policy

Planning and Governance

Reporting and Evaluation

The first edition of Taking the Temperature report provided a snapshot of the situation in India since Covid-19 and the lockdowns, the second edition of the Taking the Temperature report looks at the depth and scale of the impact of the pandemic, and studies the developments, actions, and recommendations that will strengthen the creative economy

Taking the Temperature report 3 – the final report of the series – tracks the longitudinal impact of the pandemic on the creative industry and identifies a way ahead in a systematic and sustainable roadmap for recovery. The research records major changes to the sectors and businesses precipitated by the pandemic in India.

Authors: British Council, the Art X Company and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry

Also Read: Taking the Temperature Report #01 and Report #02 to explore the full trajectory of the pandemic’s impact on India’s creative economy.

Key Findings

49% of creative sectors have not been able to keep creative businesses and artistic programmes running in the financial year 2020-21.
94% of the arts sectors are now operating in ‘digital only’ or ‘hybrid’ models.
90% of the sector fears the long-term impact of social distancing on the creative economy, an increase of 4% from the previous survey.
India’s creative economy fell to 1.5% GDP
50% of creative sectors reported 51% or more loss in annual revenue in financial year 2020-21
89% of creative sectors in edition 2 and 82% in edition 3 have confirmed the pandemic impacted their income