Bar crisis in Italy: over 24 thousand businesses closed since 2019

Confesercenti has processed data from the Chambers of Commerce to photograph the state of health of one of the most recognizable and loved local activities in Italy: the bar. Between 2019 and 2025 the sector lost over 24 thousand companies, around 11 per day. These are not just the "Bar Mario" or "Sports bars" of provincial places, but also bars under the house in the neighborhoods of big cities, which have always represented places of meeting and socialization that are part of the daily life of communities.

Confesercenti data highlights that in 2019 there were 169,839 businesses in the bar service; in 2025 there will be 145,766, 14.2% less. However, the phenomenon does not affect all Regions in a homogeneous way. Specifically, the most marked reduction occurs in Central Italy with 7,323 fewer bars, more than a fifth compared to 2019 (−20.8%). Followed by the North-East, with a decline of 16.3%, and the North-West, with 16.1%. The decline is more contained in the South (−6.7%) and in the Islands (−6.5%), but even in these areas the balance is negative.

The Confesercenti president also focuses attention on the social role of small beverage supply businesses. "A bar is a business that creates jobs and offers a service. But it is also one of the simplest and most accessible places - he underlined - where people meet. This applies to the small town, where it can be a point of reference for everyone, and it applies to the neighborhood of a large city. When these places disappear, the streets are less busy and the cities become duller and less safe".

The increase in the cost of coffee, the main raw material used in these commercial activities, also affects the survival of bars. In recent years, the price of the product has risen due to the increase in production costs. Extreme climatic phenomena have dealt a severe blow to the main producing countries, such as Brazil and Vietnam.

In all Italian cities, therefore, the price of a cup of espresso coffee has grown to cost on average 1.29 euros, i.e. 25 cents more than in 2021, with an average increase of +24.2% but with a very diversified trend depending on the areas of Italy.

For example, in Bolzano and Pescara the costs reached, respectively, 1.51 euros and 1.49 euros per cup. Messina and Catanzaro remain the cheapest cities with 1.06 and 1.08 euros per coffee.