Benchmarking the Nordics
Benchmarking the Nordics: Small Countries, Stronger Together
Individually, the Nordic countries are small. Together, however, they form one of the most internationally visible and influential audiovisual regions in the world. Here are some new facts and figures from the Nordics.
The Nordic success is not only driven by creative talent. It is the result of long-term collaboration, strong public support systems, artistic freedom, and a high level of trust across the region. The Nordic model shows how cooperation can strengthen industries — and why it continues to matter internationally.
A Collaboration That Extends Beyond Borders
At the heart of this work is The Five Nordics, a collaboration between the Nordic film institutes. Together, they operate across film promotion, production, knowledge sharing, sustainability, and industry development.
The partnership is visible at major international festivals and markets, where Nordic films and filmmakers are promoted jointly. In recent years, the collaboration has deepened further through shared data and knowledge exchange — strengthening a common, informed approach to industry development.
While the Nordic industries differ in structure, they face many of the same challenges: shifting audience behaviour, global competition, financing pressures, and rapid technological change. Collaboration, therefore, is not only cultural — it is strategic. The Nordics compete internationally, but collaborate regionally.
One Region, Significant Scale
Viewed together, the Nordic region represents a substantial audiovisual market. In 2025, the five countries combined reached over 35 million cinema admissions, a national market share of nearly 30%, and more than 100 fiction feature releases. Public funding for development and production totalled close to €144 million.
This makes the Nordics not five small markets, but a mid-sized European audiovisual region — with increasing creative, economic, and political relevance on the international stage.
Diversity in Size, Strength in Cooperation
The Nordic countries differ greatly in scale, from Sweden’s population of over 10 million to Iceland’s fewer than 400,000. These differences translate into varied production capacities, financing structures, and audience bases.
Collaboration helps bridge these gaps. It enables smaller markets to participate in larger projects, share expertise, and gain international visibility. The result is a complementary system where each country contributes different strengths.
A Stable Model Built on Trust
Despite relatively small populations, the Nordic countries maintain strong public investment in film and audiovisual storytelling. While funding systems differ, they share a common principle: audiovisual storytelling is both culture and industry.
A cornerstone of this approach is the arm’s length principle, which ensures that funding decisions are made independently of political influence. This protects artistic freedom and has created a stable, trust-based environment for filmmakers over time.
At the same time, limited domestic markets mean that international collaboration is increasingly essential to sustain competitive production levels.
Inclusion as a Creative Strength
The Nordic region has worked systematically with inclusion and representation for decades. This is reflected in relatively strong gender balance across key creative roles such as producers, directors, and writers.
Diversity is seen not only as a matter of fairness, but as a driver of artistic renewal, broader audience reach, and a richer storytelling landscape.
Co-Production: The Backbone of the Nordic Model
Co-production is central to how the Nordic audiovisual sector operates. By combining talent, financing, and audiences, co-productions enable projects that would be difficult to realise within a single national market.
In 2025, 21 Nordic co-productions reached cinemas, involving all five countries in different roles. These partnerships form a dynamic network rather than a uniform system, with countries contributing in complementary ways.
Sweden, for example, plays a particularly central role, participating in 18 of the 21 co-productions, often as a minority partner. At the same time, Nordic producers increasingly collaborate beyond the region, building connections across Europe and internationally.
The Nordic model is therefore not inward-looking — it acts as a bridge to wider markets and partnerships.
The Benchmarking the Nordics initiative represents a first step towards a shared knowledge base — a common language for understanding and developing the industry together.
Find The Benchmarking of the Nordics presentation below
