ROMA (ITALPRESS) – In 1926 exports of goods and services amounted to about 12% of the Italian GDP. Today that relationship is almost tripled, reaching 32.2% in 2025. It is the measure of the transformation of Italy into one of the main exporting economies of the world and, together, of the path of the ICE, born in 1926 as National Institute for Export to accompany Italian companies on foreign markets.
These data emerge on the occasion of the celebration of the Centenary of the ICE, together with the presentation of the 40th ICE Report “Italy in the International Economy” and the Istat-ICE Yearbook “External trade and international business activities”, in the presence, among others, of the vicepremier and foreign minister, Antonio Tajani; of the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso; of the Minister of Agriculture.
From post-war to economic miracle, between trade fairs, business missions and an increasingly extensive network of offices in the world, ICE contributes to the growth of Made in Italy and to the internationalization of enterprises, especially SMEs. Since the mid-1990s, the trade surplus has been consolidated as a distinctive feature of the competitiveness of the Italian manufacturing system.
With the globalization of the new millennium, the role of ICE evolves from commercial promotion to consulential support, in synergy with institutions, associations of category and Diplomatic System. Reorganizations since 2011 make it a key tool for economic diplomacy, with the new mission of attracting foreign investments in Italy. Today, between geopolitical tensions and energy and digital transitions, competitiveness no longer depends only on the size of enterprise or raw materials, but on the ability to transform knowledge, culture and territory into value: the strength of Made in Italy that ICE has contributed to telling in the world.
At a distance of one hundred years, the new routes of internationalization are producing concrete results: Italy is today the fifth world exporter of goods, can count on a stable nucleus of about 82 thousand exporting companies, responsible for 99% of national exports in the three years 2023-2025, and has a wide growth potential still to be valued.
Since the second half of the fifties the real value of exports has followed a almost continuous growth path, interrupted only by the oil shocks of the seventies, the financial crisis of 2008-2009, the pandemic of 2020 and the energy crisis of 2022, demonstrating every time a significant recovery capacity.
At the same time, the country’s development model has also changed: after decades of trade deficits due to the strong dependence on imports of raw materials and energy, Italy has consolidated a structural commercial surplus since the mid-1990s, also reflected the increasing competitiveness of its manufacturing system. Today exports have reached real volumes more than ten times higher than in the 1970s, confirming the increasingly central role of foreign demand as a motor of economic growth and competitiveness of the country. The Italian exporting system confirms a significant sealing capacity.
After the substantial stability of the value of exports in 2023 and the slight decline of 2024, in 2025 the export of goods has grown of 3.3%, reaching 643 billion euros: 163 billion more than in 2019. The dynamic has been higher than the average of the European Union and its main economies, allowing Italy to become the fifth world exporter of goods by competing for Japan the fourth position
. The growth was mainly supported by the pharmaceutical industry and, to a more limited extent, by metals and agri-food, in the face of the difficulties of some traditionally relevant sectors, including machinery, motor vehicles and fashion system.
Despite the recent crisis, Italian exports grew in value of 3.2% in the first quarter of 2026. The U.S. maintains a central role for Italian exports, but the recent tariff rises make it even more important to expand the presence in markets with greater growth potential, even taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the new EU trade agreements, including those with Mercosur, Australia and India intended to significantly expand the access spaces of Italian companies to international markets.
Italy in particular weighs 11% of EU exports to the Indian market, an annual amount of 5.5 billion in 2025. According to the latest estimates, by 2032 it should double EU exports to India, saving businesses around €4 billion per year in duties.
The analysis at enterprise level shows, at the same time, that the strength of Italian exports rests on a broad core of exporters stably present on international markets. Over 120 thousand exporting companies active in 2023, almost 82 thousand have maintained a continuous presence abroad in the next two years and about 51 thousand export without interruption since 2017, representing the firmest core of the national exporting system.
TAJANI “L’EXPORT STA RAGGIUNGENDO IL 40% DEL PIL”
The objective of the 700 billion export “I believe it is reachable, all the data give it up and means that the diversification strategy has paid, there is a great signal of commitment of the government that confirms that you can help those who export. We are going to 40% of GDP thanks to exports.” Thus the vice-premier and foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, on the margin of the celebration of the Centenary of the ICE. “Our country can count more and more on a quality export network. The Ice is one of the great protagonists of our action,” he adds.
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URSO “L’ITALIA E’ IL QUARTO PAESE ESPORTATORE”
“This centenary” of the ICE “ falls at an important moment, in which Italy, on a leap, surpasses Asian giants such as Japan and South Korea, becoming the fourth largest exporting country in the world. This demonstrates a productive system that is more resilient, is more dynamic than others because it is better diversified in the products, in the supply chains and in the markets, therefore, more able to grasp the opportunities even in times of crisis”. This is said by the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, on the margin of the celebration of the Centenary of ICE.
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(ITALPRESS).
