From 2000 to 2017，the national total expenditure for public culture increased from 30.029 billion yuan to 339.193 billion yuan，with an average annual growth of 15.33%.The highest values of the composite index of longitudinal evaluation in each Five-Year Plan period mostly appeard in 2017：however it didn't continuously improve but showing ups and downs.In the lateral evaluation，the gap of the ideal value has always been very obvious and the comprehensive index declined slightly from time to time.By in-depth testing the culture investment related to its economic and financial background，the similarities to the expenditure for education，science ＆ technology and health，the coordination with residents' culture consumption，and the regional balance of all kinds of per capita value calculation，we can reveal the headway and the gaps：（1）The culture investment growth was certainly higher than GDP growth：it was slightly lower than the fiscal revenue growth，and slightly lower than the fiscal expenditure growth：it was certainly lower than the education investment growth，and remarkably lower than the science ＆ technology investment growth，as well as remarkably lower than the health investment growth.（2）Besides the culture investment，the regional disparity of all the other kinds of data has narrowed：the regional disparity of the culture investment was extended by 12.14%.It is gradually becoming a reality，not just a pursuit that the whole country has achieved economic and financial “balanced growth” and “equal growth” in the expenditure for education，science ＆ technology and health.（3）The ratio of culture expenditure to fiscal revenues was certainly lower than that of the cultural consumption to the residents' income，the ratio of culture expenditure to fiscal expenditure was more certainly lower than that of the cultural consumption to the residents' expenditure.Public cultural expenditure growth remarkably lags behind the demand changes of the residents' cultural consumption.