In the first four months of 2025 Italian exports in the so -called top markets, the 25 foreign countries that absorb most of the exports from our country, have grown more than 5%. Many alternative markets that are emerging and that could represent alternative routes to that towards the USA.
Italian companies are waiting to understand what the real impact of 15% duties will be imposed by the United States to all incoming European goods. Finding alternatives will however be fundamental.
Italian export grows
Confcommercio has published some data on the growth of Italian exports in top market countries, the 25 states where Italian companies export more products by value. This group of countries covered 61% of the total exports from our country in 2024, and therefore represents a fundamental outlet for Italian industrial production.
Out of a total of 623.5 billion euros exported from Italy last year, top markets absorbed 383.6 billion. In the first four months of 2025, moreover, the role of these countries has strengthened. Exports to these markets increased by 5.3%, while those towards other countries decreased by 2%.
According to Confcommercio estimates, if this trend confirmed itself throughout the year, the value of exports to these markets would increase by over 20 billion euros. Growth is certainly a positive fact, but this figure also reveals that Italian exports are increasingly exposed to a small group of countries and, consequently, to instability, duties and other unexpected events.
Who buys Italian
On the duties, the reassuring data is a very strong growth of some top market countries other than the United States, which are absorbing part of Italian exports in recent months. The ranking of those towards which exports from our country grew more in the first four months of 2025 reads:
- Arab Emirates +20.9% (7.9 billion euros exported);
- Brazil +14% (5.8 billion euros);
- Switzerland +13.1%, (30.2 billion euros),
- Spain +10.6%, (34.5 billion euros);
- Saudi Arabia +9.6% (6.2 billion euros).
Other markets, more modest annual exports with total exports, also under 5 billion euros, have shown a certain dynamism in the first part of the year. Italian goods bought by companies based in Israel grew by 13.1%. Denmark follow with 11.8%, Ireland with 11.5%and Singapore with 11.3%.
Among the sectors that are expanding most in these markets there are different strategic productions of the Italian economy, such as metallurgy, fashion and food. However, jewelry and glasses are also distinguished.
The role of small businesses
Confartigianato also underlined the important role that small businesses played in this increase in exports to countries other than the USA. However, the president of Confartigianato Marco Granelli also asked for help from the institutions:
We ask that Europe really does Europe and place the competitiveness of entrepreneurs at the center of its action. We have too many balls to the foot: excess of bureaucracy, tax weight, difficulty accessing credit, high energy costs. Suffice it to say that Italian companies pay energy 28% more than the European average. We ask the Italian government equally commitment to defend and enhance the quality of Made in Italy on international markets.
