Nightlife sector contributes £112 billion to UK economy per year, new report reveals
The nightlife sector contributes more than £112billion to the UK economy every year, a new report has revealed.
The Nighttime Economy Report, published for the first time in 2026, was launched by the Nighttime Foundation and exhibited at the World Economic Forum recently held in Davos.
The findings from the report have now been made public, with the research revealing that the nightlife industry contributes £112 billion to the UK economy every year, equivalent to roughly five per cent of the country’s GDP.
Expanding this on a global scale, the report also noted that the sector is responsible for approximately three per cent of worldwide GDP, generating $3 to $4trillion annually.
As such, the report says that these statistics demonstrate how the nightlife industry is “one of the most underestimated drivers of urban vitality” , with the inaugural study aiming to “shift how the world understands, values, and invests in life after dark” in years to come.
The scale of the industry means that in the UK itself, the industry employs roughly one in ten people in the population, and supports “hundreds of thousands of jobs across hospitality, logistics, and the creative sector,” according to the report.
However, the knock-on effect of rising costs amid declining global economies means that many venues are now functioning to survive on “razor-thin margins”, with the average profit for a grassroots music venue now sitting at just 0.5 per cent.
Among some of the starker data were the reasons that the nightlife industry has witnessed a decline in recent years, particularly among young people. Although 51 per cent of this demographic said that a night out was their preferred means of socialisation, a huge number cited safety concerns as a “significant barrier”.
For example, one statistic highlighted in the report found that some 74 per cent of young women worry about their safety when on a night out, particularly when it comes to transport options.
The full report can be viewed here.
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