Exports, for Italy +53% in ten years: European competitors beaten

Italian manufacturing exports grew by 53% between 2016 and 2025, at current prices, outpacing the performance of Germany (+33.3%), France (+34.7%) and Spain (+51.4%). It is one of the data presented in the analysis of Intesa Sanpaolo at the center of the speech by Gregorio De Felice, Chief Economist of the Group, at the Bergamo Business Festival, in the meeting "The industry that resists".

The value of Italian exports of manufactured goods increased by €216 billion between 2015 and 2025, approximately double the increase recorded in the previous decade (€109 billion between 2005 and 2015). In 2025 manufacturing exports reached €611.4 billion, while the overall figure for Italian exports was €643.2 billion.

Gregorio De Felice declared: «Over the last twenty-five years, Italy has significantly strengthened its presence on international markets, with a propensity to export going from 25.6% in 2000 to 31.6% in 2025. The performance of manufacturing is particularly significant: between 2016 and 2025 exports grew by 53%, more than what was recorded in the main European countries. A result that confirms the competitiveness of our production system, based on the quality of production, the ability to innovate and the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises. In a phase marked by geopolitical tensions and energy price increases, it will be essential to continue investing in technology and skills and diversify the outlet markets."

In the first eight months of 2026, Italian exports increased by 5% at current prices compared to the same period in 2025. The trade balance reached €34.7 billion, supported by the manufacturing surplus (€82.9 billion), which more than compensated for the energy deficit. The growing sectors include the metals supply chain (+26.4%), automotive (+10.4%) and electronics (+5.9%); mobile declined (−5.8%).

Growth is faced with energy pressures and inflation which, according to De Felice's forecasts, would stand at 3.3% in 2026 and 2.9% in 2027. Italian GDP held up better than expected in the first half of 2026, before a phase of stagnation during the summer. On the structural front, 69.2% of companies in industry strictly speaking carried out innovative activities in the period 2022-2024: one of the resources to focus on to support international competitiveness.