Over the past ten years, theItaly has witnessed a drastic decline with businesses led by young people under 35. Every day, on average, 42 companies have ceased their activity or have left the category due to exceeding the age threshold of the holders. Overall, the number of youth enterprises has dropped from almost 640 thousand in 2014 to 486 thousand at the end of 2024, with a net loss of over 153 thousand activities.
The causes of the decline
According l 'analysis Unioncamere-InfoCamere on the birth-mortality rate of youth enterprises, this transformation is due to several factors. Firstly, thedemographic winter has reduced the number of potential young entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the bureaucratic complexity, the difficulty of accessing credit and the increasing competition in the market have made it more difficult for young people to keep their businesses running.
Despite the overall reduction, there are also some signs of adaptation and innovation in some specific sectors.
The most affected sectors and those growing
The decline in youth enterprises has hit almost all economic sectors, but with different impacts. The construction suffered the greatest loss, with almost 40 thousand fewer businesses (-38,7%), followed by trade (-66 thousand companies, equal to -36,2%). Also themanufacturing industry recorded a sharp decline (-35,9%).
The decline in youth entrepreneurship has had a significant impact on some specific categories. artisan entrepreneurship has lost over 47 thousand companies (-28,1%), while companies led by women under 35 decreased by over 43 thousand units (-24,5%). Even the businesses created by young foreigners suffered a sharp contraction (-27,4%).
On the other hand, some sectors have shown signs of growth. The business services increased by 3,5% in the decade, with almost 2 thousand new businesses under 35. Theagriculture remained stable (+0,06%), proving to still be an entrepreneurial opportunity for the new generations. Also growing is the ICT sector, which went from 6,4% to 8% of the total number of youth enterprises.
Territorial differences: the most affected regions
The decline of youth entrepreneurship has had a different impact in the various Italian regions. The Lombardia, which maintains the primacy for the number of companies under 35 (over 74 thousand), has recorded a contraction of 15,1% in the decade. Campania, with over 61 thousand youth companies, has suffered a reduction of 23,8%.
Le Central regions are among the most affected: Marche has lost 36,7% of its youth enterprises, followed by Umbria (-32%) and Tuscany (-31,1%). In Noon, Molise (-35,6%), Abruzzo (-35,2%) and Calabria (-34,4%) recorded the heaviest declines. Sicily (-32,9%) and Puglia (-28,6%) suffered more moderate losses, while still maintaining a presence of youth-run businesses.
“The data is son of the economic context but it is clear that on it he has weighed the aging of the population“, commented the president of Unioncamere, Andrew Priest. “Moreover, according to the Cnel, in the last 20 years we have had over 2 million fewer workers under 35”. For the president of Unioncamere, however, “the new sector map of youth enterprise clearly shows a greater presence in sectors that require specialized skills and promise greater margins for innovation. Young people who choose to start a business today focus on activities where the added value of expertise and technology represents a distinctive and competitive factor. This transformation suggests the need for targeted policies that, in addition to facilitating access to credit and the start-up phase, support young entrepreneurs in acquiring the skills needed to operate in sectors that are highly knowledge- and innovation-intensive”.
