While Italy's fashion runways capture the world's imagination, its true textile prowess is woven into a formidable €28.4 billion industrial engine that spins everything from recycled yarn in Prato to technical textiles in Veneto.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Italy produced 1,248 million square meters of woven fabrics, representing a 2.5% increase from 2021
- The Italian textile industry output reached €28.4 billion in turnover in 2022, with a 9.8% growth over the previous year
- Lombardy region accounted for 28% of Italy's total textile production value in 2021, producing €7.2 billion worth of textiles
- In 2022, Italy's textile industry employed 412,000 people directly, with 520,000 including indirect jobs
- The average annual salary in the Italian textile sector was €28,500 in 2022, 12% below national average
- Women comprised 58% of the textile workforce in Italy in 2021
- Italy exported €9.8 billion in textiles in 2022, up 18.6% from 2021
- France was the top destination for Italian textile exports at €1.9 billion in 2022
- Germany imported €1.4 billion of Italian textiles in 2022
- Italy imported €6.5 billion in textiles in 2022, down 5% from 2021 peak
- China supplied 45% of Italy's textile imports at €2.9 billion in 2022
- Turkey provided €850 million in yarns and fabrics to Italy 2022
Italy's textile industry grew significantly in 2022 through robust production, exports and regional specialization.
Employment and Workforce
- In 2022, Italy's textile industry employed 412,000 people directly, with 520,000 including indirect jobs
- The average annual salary in the Italian textile sector was €28,500 in 2022, 12% below national average
- Women comprised 58% of the textile workforce in Italy in 2021
- Prato district employed 45,000 in textiles, 70% immigrants, as of 2023
- 65,000 jobs in Lombardy textile sector in 2022
- Youth employment (under 30) in textiles was 18% of total workforce in 2022
- Veneto had 52,000 textile employees in 2021, down 3% from 2020
- Tuscany's textile jobs totaled 68,000 in 2022
- Average working hours per employee were 1,720 annually in 2022
- 25% of textile workers had vocational training certifications in 2023 survey
- Piedmont employed 28,000 in hosiery textiles in 2022
- Emilia-Romagna's 55,000 textile jobs focused on knits, 2022 data
- Unemployment rate in textile sector was 4.2% in 2022, below national 7.5%
- 12,000 apprenticeships in textiles in 2022 via regional programs
- Friuli Venezia Giulia had 15,000 jobs in man-made fibers, 2023
- Biella wool district employed 12,500 in 2022
- Part-time employment rate 22% in textiles vs 18% national in 2022
- 8,500 new hires in textiles in 2023 Q1-Q2
- Campania linen workers numbered 5,200 in 2022
- Technical textile jobs grew 5% to 45,000 in 2022
- 35% of workforce over 50 years old in 2022, aging issue
- Denim sector employed 18,000 across Italy in 2022
- Home textiles jobs totaled 22,000 in 2022
- Sicily's small textile firms employed 3,500 in 2021
- R&D staff in textiles was 15,000 in 2022
Employment and Workforce Interpretation
Despite its threads being woven with the considerable contributions of women, immigrants, and skilled veterans, Italy's textile industry seems to be dressing its future in a slightly snugger fit, grappling with an aging workforce, regional contractions, and a pay scale that has yet to be fully tailored to the national average.
Exports and International Trade
- Italy exported €9.8 billion in textiles in 2022, up 18.6% from 2021
- France was the top destination for Italian textile exports at €1.9 billion in 2022
- Germany imported €1.4 billion of Italian textiles in 2022
- USA received €850 million in textile exports from Italy in 2022
- Woven fabrics exports totaled €3.2 billion in 2022
- Knitwear exports reached €2.1 billion in 2022
- China exported to €450 million Italian textiles in 2022, wait no, Italy to China €450m
- Technical textiles exports grew 22% to €2.0 billion in 2022
- Home textiles exports €1.5 billion in 2022, led to Germany
- Wool fabrics exports €1.1 billion, 60% to EU in 2022
- Man-made fiber yarns exports €900 million in 2022
- Spain imported €700 million Italian textiles in 2022
- UK post-Brexit imports from Italy €550 million in 2022
- Turkey took €400 million in 2022
- Nonwovens exports €650 million, up 10%, 2022
- Denim exports €350 million to USA and Asia in 2022
- Lace and embroidery exports €250 million, mainly to France, 2022
- Protective textiles exports €500 million in 2022
- EU accounted for 68% of total textile exports at €6.7 billion in 2022
- Extra-EU exports grew 25% to €3.1 billion in 2022
- Japan imported €120 million Italian high-end textiles in 2022
- Russia imports dropped 40% to €80 million due to sanctions in 2022
- UAE hub for €200 million re-exports in 2022
- South Korea €150 million in technical fabrics 2022
- Netherlands transshipment €600 million Italian textiles 2022
- Belgium €450 million imports 2022
- Poland €300 million, emerging market 2022
- Switzerland €250 million luxury textiles 2022
Exports and International Trade Interpretation
While Italy's textile industry remains firmly wrapped in the embrace of its EU neighbors, with France and Germany leading a €6.7 billion love affair, it is boldly threading new patterns globally, spinning 25% growth outside the bloc as technical fabrics and discerning taste dress the world from Seoul to New York.
Imports and Market Structure
- Italy imported €6.5 billion in textiles in 2022, down 5% from 2021 peak
- China supplied 45% of Italy's textile imports at €2.9 billion in 2022
- Turkey provided €850 million in yarns and fabrics to Italy 2022
- Bangladesh imports €450 million ready-made textiles 2022
- Pakistan cotton yarns €300 million imported in 2022
- India €250 million synthetic fibers 2022
- Romania intra-EU €400 million fabrics 2022
- Germany €350 million machinery-related textiles 2022
- Vietnam emerging supplier €180 million 2022
- Egypt cotton €150 million 2022
- Tunisia €120 million knits 2022
- Bulgaria €100 million nonwovens 2022
- Man-made fibers imports totaled 1.8 million tons in 2022
- Raw cotton imports 450,000 tons €1.2 billion 2022
- Wool imports €200 million mainly Australia/New Zealand 2022
- Synthetic yarns €1.1 billion from Asia 2022
- EU imports 32% at €2.1 billion 2022
- Extra-EU imports €4.4 billion 2022
- Greece €90 million olive oil related textiles? No, technical €90m 2022
- Morocco €75 million 2022
- Imports of finished knitwear €800 million 2022
- Italy had 62,000 textile companies in 2022, down 1.5% from 2021
- SMEs (under 50 employees) 95% of total firms, employing 60% workforce 2022
- Top 100 textile firms generated €12.5 billion turnover 2022
- Prato has 4,500 textile firms, 25% of national total 2023
- Lombardy hosts 15,000 textile SMEs 2022
- Average firm size 6.6 employees in 2022
- 1,200 firms in technical textiles, €7.5b turnover 2022
Imports and Market Structure Interpretation
Italy's textile industry remains a masterpiece of old-world craft and new-world pragmatism, stitching together a reliance on Chinese imports with a tapestry of global suppliers while its own landscape is dominated by a vibrant, yet shrinking, army of artisanal SMEs.
Production and Manufacturing
- In 2022, Italy produced 1,248 million square meters of woven fabrics, representing a 2.5% increase from 2021
- The Italian textile industry output reached €28.4 billion in turnover in 2022, with a 9.8% growth over the previous year
- Lombardy region accounted for 28% of Italy's total textile production value in 2021, producing €7.2 billion worth of textiles
- In 2023, Italy manufactured 45 million pieces of knitwear, up 4% from 2022 figures
- The production of man-made fibers in Italy totaled 1.2 million tons in 2022
- Veneto region's textile sector produced €4.1 billion in 2022, specializing in technical textiles
- Italy's wool fabric production stood at 62 million meters in 2022, maintaining its global leadership
- The nonwovens segment in Italy produced 450,000 tons in 2021, with 15% growth projected for 2023
- Tuscany's Prato district produced 80% of Europe's recycled yarn from textile waste in 2022, totaling 120,000 tons
- Italian cotton yarn production reached 95,000 tons in 2022
- In 2022, the embroidery and lace sector output was €850 million, with 12,500 companies involved
- Piedmont region contributed €2.3 billion to textile production in 2021 via hosiery and underwear
- Italy's technical textiles production value hit €7.5 billion in 2022, 26% of total sector
- The sector produced 320 million linear meters of home textiles in 2022
- Friuli Venezia Giulia's man-made fiber plants output 250,000 tons annually as of 2023
- In 2021, Italy wove 180 million meters of silk fabrics
- The denim production in Italy reached 25 million meters in 2022, led by Biella district
- Carpet and rug manufacturing output was €1.2 billion in 2022
- Emilia-Romagna produced €3.8 billion in knitted fabrics in 2022
- Italy's felt and nonwoven production totaled 180,000 tons in 2022
- The upholstery textiles segment generated €2.1 billion in 2022
- In 2023 Q1, textile machinery orders for Italy rose 15% to €650 million
- Biella's woolen mill production was 45 million meters in 2022
- Italy produced 15 million square meters of protective textiles in 2022
- The linen fabric output reached 12 million meters in 2022, from Campania region
- Synthetic yarn production hit 450,000 tons in 2021
- Italy's terry cloth production was 50 million kg in 2022
- The sector's energy consumption for production was 12 TWh in 2022
- Printed fabric production totaled 250 million meters in 2022
- Italy's textile waste recycling for production reached 200,000 tons in 2022
Production and Manufacturing Interpretation
Italy's textile industry is not just sewing up profits but stitching together a remarkably resilient and diversified economic fabric, with everything from Lombardy's luxury looms to Prato's recycled yarn proving that when it comes to making material, Italy is, quite literally, in the driver's seat.
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