Export ancora avanti a settembre: in nove mesi (+4,7%) supera i 500 miliardi

In September, exports continued to surpass the 500 billion euro mark, with a 9-month total of over 5.7 billion euros. The national export growth progressed at an annual rate of 3.8%, making it the seventh consecutive month of growth. This growth was particularly noticeable in non-EU markets, up by 5.8%, and Europe, up by 2.1%. Price increases were the main driver of this growth, despite a nearly equal reduction in volume (-3.4%).

Leading sectors included automotive, metals, and chemicals, with double-digit growth. China emerged as the top market, with a 32% increase, driven by pharmaceutical exports. Switzerland remained the leading market overall, with a 41% growth, mainly due to gold sales from the Arezzo district. Overall, Italy's export growth for 2026 is projected at 4.7%, with half of this driven by increased sales of base metals and metal products, particularly gold.

Auto imports from China also surged, with China's imports reaching 3.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, a more than doubling compared to the same period in 2025, accounting for 10% of global car imports. The United States remained a market with a slowdown, attributed to a comparison with September 2025, which had significant transport-related transactions.

Among individual sectors, auto, textiles, chemicals, components, and automotive showed growth in exports to the US. The overall trade balance in September 2026 was a surplus of 2.083 million euros (up from +1.880 million in the same month in 2025). However, the energy deficit widened to -5.887 million euros compared to -3.778 million the previous year.

The surplus in non-energy product trade increased from +5.657 million euros in September 2025 to +7.970 million euros in September 2026.