The Statistical yearbook of foreign trade offers a detailed overview of the progress of the organisers' activities international trade in Italy in 2022, highlighting both positive notes, such as the growth of exports, and the challenges arising from the trade deficit and poor market diversification.
In the 2022 world trade of goods showed growth of 11,5% compared to the previous year, due to an increase in both average unit values (+9,5%) and volumes traded (+2,3%). In this scenario, Italy has registered a increase of the euro value of the exported goods (+20%), together with an even more marked growth of cheap imports (+36,4%). The almost double increase in imports compared to exports has led to a deficit in the trade balance of 30,7 billion euros (in 2021 the balance was instead positive and equal to +40,3 billion), mostly due to the energy component.
La Germany it is confirmed as the main outlet market for the sales of Italian goods with a share of 12,4%. Usa e France they are in second and third place with shares of 10,4% and 10,0% respectively. They follow Spain (5,1%), Switzerland (5,0%) and UK (4,4%).
Between groups of manufactured products in which Italy holds the largest shares in world exports of goods in 2022 are:
• terracotta building materials (22,89%)
• tanned and worked leather, travel items, bags, leather goods and saddlery (13,18%)
• bakery and flour products (13,12%)
• cut, shaped and finished stones (12,04%)
• non-wood forest vegetable products (10,38%)
• steel pipes, ducts, hollow profiles and related accessories (10,08%)
• leather items (9,70%)
•ships and boats (9,43%).
The growth of exports at a territorial level
La growth in value ofexports in 2022 affects all regions Italian, with the exception of Molise (-12,1%). The most marked increases concern Brands (+ 82,0%), Sardinia (+ 61,8%) and Sicilia (+56,0%); the smaller ones Basilicata (+ 0,4%) and Abruzzo (+2,1%). The increase in exports is very strong for insular Italy (+58%), around the national average (+20%) for central Italy (+23,4%) and the Northwest (+19,6%), relatively more contained for the Northeast (+16,0%) and for Southern Italy (+15,4%). The territorial origin of sales on foreign markets is confirmed as highly concentrated in the regions of Center-North (87,9% of national exports), while the South activates 10,6%. In 2022, the share of the Lombardia on national exports it is 26%. Following Emilia Romagna and Lombardy (13,5%), Veneto (13,1%), Piedmont (9,4%) and Toscana (8,8%).
Considering the operators according to the outlet markets, 46,4% export goods to just one country while 17,5% operate in over 10 markets. The top five countries by number of presences of Italian commercial operators are Switzerland (about 52 thousand), Usa (over 43 thousand), UK (about 36 thousand), France (about 30 thousand) e Germany (over 29 thousand). A large number of operators are also present in Spain (about 26 thousand), Poland (over 21 thousand) e Netherlands (over 20 thousand).
The growth of exports in sectoral terms
In sectoral terms, 50,2% of exporting companies active in 2021 were represented by manufacturing companies (with a weight of 79,7% on the total value of exports of industrial and service companies), 37,5% from commercial enterprises and 12,4% from companies operating in other sectors. The positive relationship between the contribution to national exports and firm size, expressed in terms of employees, is confirmed. In 2021, large exporting companies (2.035 units with at least 250 employees) accounted for 49,6% of Italian exports (48,8% in 2020), medium-sized enterprises (50-249 employees) 30,3% (in decrease compared to 31,3% in 2021) and small companies 20,1% (19,9% in 2020).
