Reference page · Updated November 4, 2026
Art Collecting Statistics 2026
A clear, sourced view of how collectors are buying art now, from direct artist relationships to digital discovery.
Data years vary by source and are shown with every statistic. This page will be reviewed regularly as major reports are released.
The short version
Collectors are finding art in more than one place.
The market is not one single room. Collectors still value galleries, fairs and time with work in person, while direct artist relationships and online discovery are a meaningful part of how they look, learn and buy.
For artists and collectors alike, the useful takeaway is not that one route has replaced another. It is that a considered body of work, clear information and a welcoming way to make contact all matter more when people can encounter art from many directions.
Citable statistics
Art collecting and market data.
$59.6B
Global art market sales in 2025
Sales rose 4% from 2024, marking a return to growth after two consecutive years of decline.
Data year: 2025. Source: Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2026.
41.5M
Art-market transactions in 2025
The number of transactions grew 2% year over year, a useful reminder that market activity and total sales value do not always move together.
Data year: 2025. Source: Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2026.
44%
Share of global art-market sales in the U.S.
The U.S. remained the largest art market by value in 2025.
Data year: 2025. Source: Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2026.
$9.2B
Online-only art sales in 2025
Online-only sales represented 15% of total market sales, showing that a clear digital presentation remains part of how collectors buy.
Data year: 2025. Source: Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2026.
63%
Surveyed high-net-worth collectors who bought directly from an artist
This result comes from a 2025 survey of 3,100 high-net-worth collectors across 10 markets. It describes that surveyed group, not all art buyers.
Data year: 2024–2025. Source: Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025.
51%
Dealer buyers who bought via Instagram without seeing the work in person
Among surveyed collectors who bought from a dealer in 2024 or 2025, just over half made at least one purchase this way.
Data year: 2024–2025. Source: Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025.
46%
Average amount high-net-worth women outspent male peers on art and antiques
The comparison covers 2024 spending in the 2025 global collecting survey.
Data year: 2024–2025. Source: Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025.
$1.17T
U.S. arts and cultural economic activity in 2023
Arts and cultural production accounted for 4.2% of U.S. gross domestic product in the latest release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Data year: 2023. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arts and Culture.
Reading the data carefully
Useful context makes a statistic more useful.
Market totals show the scale and direction of the trade, but they do not describe every collector or every working artist. The global collecting survey focuses on high-net-worth respondents, so its findings should be read as a window into that group’s behaviour, rather than a portrait of every person who buys art.
That distinction matters. A collector deciding whether to live with a small original work has a different set of considerations from a large auction buyer. Both are part of the wider market, but their choices are not interchangeable.
Explore Sherry’s process →
Methodology and sources
Where these figures come from.
Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2026
Published in 2026, reporting on the 2025 global art market.
Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025
Published in 2025, surveying 3,100 high-net-worth collectors across 10 markets through the first half of 2025.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arts and Culture
Published in 2026, reporting U.S. arts and cultural production for 2023.
Cite this page
Suggested citation: Sherry Harradence, “Art Collecting Statistics 2026,” updated November 4, 2026, https://sherryharradence.com/art-collecting-statistics. Link to a specific statistic by using its heading as the page anchor.