Xifres de comerç exterior d'Itàlia

Foreign Trade in Figures

Italy has an export-oriented economy and is the 8th largest exporter and 12th largest importer worldwide, with trade making up 66% of its GDP (World Bank, latest data available). In 2023, the country’s main exports included machinery (16.1% of the total), transport equipment (10.8%), textiles and metal products (10.4% each), and pharmaceutical products (7.8%), whereas imports were led by petroleum and gas (11%), transport equipment (10.6%), metal products (10.5% each), food and beverage (7.3% each), and machinery (7.2% - data ISTAT for 2023). According to the latest figures by ISTAT, 14.7% of exports from Italian manufacturing companies came from micro and small enterprises (with 0-19 employees), and 32.2% came from medium-sized enterprises (50-249 employees). More than half (53%) came from large enterprises (more than 250 employees).

Italy’s main trading partners were Germany (11.9%), the U.S. (10.7%), France (10.1%), Spain (5.3%), and Switzerland (4.9%), whereas imports chiefly came from Germany (15.2%), China (8%), France (7.9%), the Netherlands (6.2%), and Spain (5.5%). Overall, the EU accounted for 51.6% of exports and 57% of imports (data 2023 from ISTAT). The stagnation of Italian merchandise exports in 2023 was driven by a decline in sales to EU markets (-2.2%), resulting from a sharp drop in quantities (-6%) despite a rise in average unit values (+4%). At the same time, exports to non-EU markets grew by 2.5%, supported by a significant increase in average unit values (+6.7%) despite a smaller decline in volumes (-3.9%).

Since the sovereign debt crisis in 2010 and after several years of registering a trade deficit, Italy has changed direction and has recorded positive trade balances in recent years (with the exception of 2022 due to a rise in energy prices).  According to WTO data, in 2023, the country exported goods worth USD 676.9 billion (+2.7%% year-on-year), while imports decreased by 7.8%, totalling USD 639.6 billion. In the same year, Italy exported services for a total value of USD 145.9 billion, while its imports amounted to USD 157.8 billion (+14.4% and +12.6% year-on-year, respectively). The overall trade balance was estimated to be positive by 1.2% of GDP by the World Bank. Preliminary data from ISTAT show that, in the first nine months of 2024, exports saw a slight annual decline (-0.7%), mainly due to reduced sales of motor vehicles (-13.2%), base metals and metal products (-5.5%), transport equipment excluding motor vehicles (-6.2%), and leather goods (-8.9%). Conversely, significant growth came from food, beverages, and tobacco (+8%), sporting goods, musical instruments, and medical equipment (+17.8%), as well as pharmaceutical and chemical products (+5.8%).