According to the analysis conducted by the Confindustria Research Center, Italy has recorded a significant increase in foreign investments, which grew by 44% between 2015 and 2023, rising from €330 billion to €450 billion. The average annual GDP growth rate was +1.0%, surpassing that of Europe’s largest economy, Germany, which stood at +0.3%. This positive trend highlights the resilience of the Italian economy to face challenges such as the global pandemic and the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Productive investments, which have been expanding strongly from 2019 to 2024, increased by 17.8%. This reflects a climate of optimism and a renewal of the productive base of Italian enterprises.
An extraordinary performance was seen in exports, which grew by 45% between 2015 and 2024. Italy ranks second in the EU for manufacturing exports and fourth in the world in terms of the number of products in which it is the leading exporter. This underscores the strong international competitiveness of Italy’s industrial sector and its broad product diversification, as well as a favorable environment for productive activities.
Italy can also rely on a sustainable and low-emission economy. Greenhouse gas emissions are among the lowest in the G20, with just 0.12 kg of CO₂ per dollar of GDP, making the Italian industry one of the most environmentally efficient.
Following the 2008 financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, Italian companies are now more financially sound, having increased their capital (from 34.5% to 47.3%) and reduced bank debt (from 19.5% to 13.2%).
Public finances have also proven more stable: between 2019 and 2023, despite the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Italy’s public debt increased by only 1.2 percentage points. Compared to other countries, such as France (+11.8%), Italy maintained stricter fiscal control. Furthermore, over 70% of the debt is held by domestic investors, making Italy’s public debt less exposed to potential future international financial crises.
