Between April and June, the Italian business system confirmed its capacity for growth. In the second quarter of 2026, the balance between new registrations and terminations was positive for 32.709 companies, fruit of 83.169 openings e 50.460 closures, maintaining the rate of development at + 0,56 %, the same as recorded in the same period of 2025. The total number of registered companies thus rises to 5.823.863Among the most significant elements of the quarter, the return to growth of the craft sector also stands out, which records a positive balance of 5.201 companies and a development rate of + 0,43 %, an improvement compared to the +0,37% of the previous year. These are the data that emerge from Movcompanies, the statistical analysis conducted by Unioncamere and InfoCamere based on the Business Register of the Chambers of Commerce
Services and construction support growth
The expansion of the business community continues to be based primarily on services and construction. Construction is the sector with the greatest increase in absolute value, thanks to 5.369 new businesses In the quarter, this was followed by accommodation and food services (+4.851), professional, scientific, and technical activities (+4.059), real estate (+3.191), and the financial and insurance sector (+2.868), which also recorded the highest growth rate (+1,91%). The performance of traditional sectors, however, was more moderate: manufacturing grew by just 483 companies, while agriculture, forestry and fishing add 1.549 activities.
Craftsmanship returns to positive territory
The recovery of craftsmanship also fits into this context. The positive balance of 5.201 companies It is supported above all by construction, which represents approximately half of the growth in the sector (+2.660 companies), and by service activities, in particular repairs, maintenance and personal services, which add 1.473 companies. On the other hand, artisan manufacturing remains weak, continuing to lose businesses (-289), confirming the difficulties of the more traditional production sectors.
The Center is the most dynamic, the South is the first in numerical growth
Growth is affecting all areas of the country, but with varying degrees of intensity. In absolute terms, Southern Italy leads the ranking with 11.129 more companies, approximately one third of the entire national balance. If we consider the growth rate instead, the primacy goes to the Center of Italy (+0,64%), thanks above all to the performance of Lazio and Tuscany. In the craft sector, the largest number of new businesses is concentrated in the North-West and North-East, while the Centre records the most marked percentage increase, with a growth rate of 0,44 %, almost tripled compared to the same quarter of 2025.
Joint-stock companies remain the driving force
The analysis by legal form finally confirms the driving role of the capital company, which achieved a positive balance of 19.861 companies and a growth of 1%. Individual businesses increase by 13.120 unit, while the decline in partnerships continues, the only category to close the quarter with a negative balance. This picture confirms the solidity of the Italian business system, supported by the expansion of services and construction and accompanied by the first signs of strengthening in the artisanal sector.
