A world of industrial excellence pulses beneath Italy's sun-drenched landscapes, where a manufacturing powerhouse generating over €347 billion annually not only drives the economy but also crafts the world's most coveted goods, from Ferraris to fashion handbags.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Italy's manufacturing sector accounted for 15.3% of GDP, generating €347 billion in value added
- Italy's industrial production index stood at 105.2 in 2023 (2015=100), up 1.2% year-over-year
- Manufacturing employed 2.1 million people in Italy in 2022, representing 12% of total employment
- Fiat Chrysler's production in Italy was 680,000 vehicles in 2022
- Italy's automotive industry employed 485,000 people directly in 2022
- Automobile production totaled 795,000 units in 2022, down 18% from 2021
- Italy's leather goods exports reached €6.2 billion in 2022
- Fashion industry turnover €100 billion in 2022, employing 550,000
- Made in Italy apparel exports €80 billion in 2022
- Mechanical machinery exports €50 billion in 2022
- Machine tool production value €7.2 billion in 2022
- Italy 7th global exporter of machinery with 6.5% share in 2022
- Chemical industry turnover €65 billion in 2022
- Pharmaceutical production value €47 billion in 2022
- Petrochemical output 12 million tons in 2022
Italy's manufacturing industry is a major driver of its economy and exports.
Automotive
- Fiat Chrysler's production in Italy was 680,000 vehicles in 2022
- Italy's automotive industry employed 485,000 people directly in 2022
- Automobile production totaled 795,000 units in 2022, down 18% from 2021
- Commercial vehicle production reached 410,000 units in 2022
- Italy exported 3.9 million vehicles in 2022, value €52 billion
- Automotive parts exports totaled €38 billion in 2022
- Stellantis (FCA) had 44% share of Italian car production in 2022
- Electric vehicle production in Italy was 45,000 units in 2022
- Automotive R&D spending was €5.2 billion in 2021
- Motorcycle production hit 140,000 units in 2022
- Bus production totaled 3,200 units in 2022
- Automotive supply chain employs 1.2 million indirectly in 2022
- Turin region accounts for 60% of national car production in 2022
- Automotive export destinations: Germany 20%, France 18% in 2022
- Hybrid vehicle production up 25% to 120,000 units in 2022
- Ferrari produced 13,200 supercars in 2022
- Lamborghini output 9,200 vehicles in 2022
- Maserati production 5,600 units in 2022
- Automotive digital transformation investment €1.8 billion in 2022
- Vehicle scrappage rate 8.5% in Italy 2022
- Car registration growth 20% to 1.55 million in 2022
- Automotive PMI index averaged 48.5 in 2023
- Italy's luxury car export value €12 billion in 2022
- Truck production 85,000 units in 2022
- Automotive energy consumption 15% of industrial total in 2022
Automotive Interpretation
While Italy's automotive heart still beats strongly, pumping out everything from iconic supercars to essential commercial vehicles and supporting over 1.6 million jobs, the patient is showing concerning vital signs with an 18% production drop, a reliance on a single corporate giant for nearly half its output, and an electric pulse that remains worryingly faint.
Chemicals
- Chemical industry turnover €65 billion in 2022
- Pharmaceutical production value €47 billion in 2022
- Petrochemical output 12 million tons in 2022
- Fertilizer production 2.5 million tons in 2022
- Paint and varnish turnover €6.8 billion 2022
- Chemical exports €55 billion in 2022
- Pharma exports €35 billion in 2022
- Renewable chemicals production up 15% to €4 billion 2022
- Chemical employment 195,000 in 2022
- R&D in chemicals €3.8 billion in 2022, 5.8% turnover
- Plastics production 5.2 million tons in 2022
- Specialty chemicals €22 billion revenue 2022
- Vaccine production 250 million doses in 2022
- Generic drugs 35% market share in Italy 2022
- Chemical parks host 70% production in 2022
- Porto Marghera chemical hub output €10 billion 2022
- Bio-pharma investment €1.2 billion in 2022
- Chemical recycling capacity 200,000 tons/year 2022
- Paints export €3.2 billion in 2022
- Pharma trade surplus €12 billion in 2022
- Green chemistry patents 1,500 filed in 2022
Chemicals Interpretation
While Italy's chemical and pharmaceutical sectors produce everything from lifesaving vaccines to the paint that colors la dolce vita, their real genius lies in a €47 billion trade surplus that proves the nation's industrial might is anything but generic.
Fashion
- Italy's leather goods exports reached €6.2 billion in 2022
- Fashion industry turnover €100 billion in 2022, employing 550,000
- Made in Italy apparel exports €80 billion in 2022
- Footwear production 130 million pairs in 2022
- Luxury goods sector value €115 billion in 2022
- Textile output €12 billion in 2022, down 5%
- Jewelry exports €8.5 billion in 2022
- Eyewear production 52 million units in 2022
- Fashion PMI 51.2 average in 2023
- Prato textile district produced 25% of EU wool fabrics in 2022
- Fashion R&D €2.5 billion in 2022
- Gucci revenue from Italy production €4 billion in 2022
- Prada group output value €4.3 billion Italian-made in 2022
- Armani fashion exports €2.1 billion in 2022
- Sustainable fashion brands 40% of total in 2022
- Fashion e-commerce sales €15 billion in 2022
- District of Como silk production 80% Italian total in 2022
- Handbag production 250 million units in 2022
- Fashion export to USA €25 billion in 2022
- Biella wool district turnover €1.2 billion in 2022
- Ready-to-wear production €35 billion in 2022
- Fashion recycling rate 25% in 2022
Fashion Interpretation
Italy’s fashion industry is a remarkably well-tailored economic engine, stitching together everything from €115 billion in luxury and 130 million pairs of shoes to a 25% recycling rate, proving that true style is a blend of exquisite craftsmanship, serious business, and a growing conscience.
Machinery
- Mechanical machinery exports €50 billion in 2022
- Machine tool production value €7.2 billion in 2022
- Italy 7th global exporter of machinery with 6.5% share in 2022
- Agricultural machinery output €2.8 billion in 2022
- Plastic and rubber machinery €3.1 billion turnover 2022
- Packaging machinery exports €3.5 billion in 2022
- Robotics industry revenue €1.5 billion in 2022
- Foundry machinery production €900 million in 2022
- Textile machinery exports €2.9 billion in 2022
- Earth-moving machinery output €4.2 billion in 2022
- Machinery employment 1.1 million in 2022
- Emilia-Romagna 35% of national machinery production in 2022
- Machinery R&D 4.2% of turnover in 2022
- Industrial automation systems €12 billion in 2022
- Forklift production 45,000 units in 2022
- Metalworking machinery €5.8 billion exports 2022
- Boiler and pressure vessel production €2.1 billion 2022
- Machinery digital twin adoption 35% firms in 2022
- Top export markets Germany 15%, USA 12% machinery 2022
- Additive manufacturing revenue €450 million in 2022
Machinery Interpretation
Italy's machinery sector, which employs over a million people, shows it’s far more than just espresso makers, as it engineers everything from earth-movers to packaging lines and quietly powers a significant chunk of the global industrial economy from its Emilia-Romagna heartland.
Manufacturing
- In 2022, Italy's manufacturing sector accounted for 15.3% of GDP, generating €347 billion in value added
- Italy's industrial production index stood at 105.2 in 2023 (2015=100), up 1.2% year-over-year
- Manufacturing employed 2.1 million people in Italy in 2022, representing 12% of total employment
- The mechanical engineering subsector produced €48.5 billion in 2022
- Italy's manufacturing PMI averaged 52.3 in 2023, indicating expansion
- Industrial energy consumption in manufacturing reached 120 TWh in 2021
- Manufacturing R&D expenditure was €14.2 billion in 2021, 3.1% of sales
- Italy ranked 8th globally in manufacturing output with $282 billion in 2022
- The food and beverage manufacturing sector output was €170 billion in 2022
- Metal products manufacturing turnover reached €95 billion in 2022
- Plastic and rubber products output value was €42 billion in 2022
- Electrical equipment manufacturing generated €28 billion in revenue in 2022
- Manufacturing export share of total exports was 83% in 2022, valued at €480 billion
- Industrial production capacity utilization rate was 77.5% in Q4 2023
- Manufacturing added value per employee was €165,000 in 2022
- The ceramics sector produced 370 million sqm of tiles in 2022
- Furniture manufacturing turnover was €22 billion in 2022
- Paper and printing industry output €15 billion in 2022
- Rubber tyre production reached 95 million units in 2022
- Glass manufacturing produced 4.2 million tons in 2022
- Cement production totaled 22.5 million tons in 2022
- Steel production was 22.8 million tons in 2022
- Industrial robot installations in manufacturing hit 11,200 units in 2022
- Manufacturing digitalization investment reached €8.5 billion in 2022
- Energy-intensive manufacturing share of total output was 25% in 2022
- Manufacturing apprenticeships numbered 180,000 in 2022
- Regional manufacturing output: Lombardy 28%, Veneto 15% in 2022
- Manufacturing inflation rate was 8.2% in 2022
- Industrial orders index rose 4.5% in 2023
- Manufacturing trade balance surplus €85 billion in 2022
Manufacturing Interpretation
Italy's manufacturing sector remains the robust and humming engine of its economy—producing a hearty slice of GDP, a massive trade surplus, and millions of jobs—yet it faces the modern duel of fuelling this traditional powerhouse while urgently digitizing and greening its workshops for the future.
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