Italian GDP remained unchanged between July and September of this year, compared to the previous quarter, a new report by Istat, the Italian statistics office, has found.
According to the report, the performance of Italy‘s GDP was similar to that of Germany and lower than the average seen across much of the euro area, including France and Spain.
‘The global economy is experiencing a moderate slowdown and international trade is exhibiting a volatile trend, which is partially attributable to the enduring high degree of instability in trade policies,’ Istat said in its report.
Export performance
Export performance was largely favourable during the period – albeit with a decline in August – seeing a 1.2% increase compared to the previous three months, however imports saw a slight decline (-0.3%).
Seasonally-adjusted industrial production rose by 2.8% in September, compensating for the 2.7% decline observed the previous month. Looking at the quarter as a whole, the industrial production index fell by 0.5% compared to the previous quarter.
In terms of employment, meanwhile, growth was seen among female employees and all age cohorts except for those aged 35 to 49. Employment increased among permanent workers, while temporary employment declined, and self-employment showed little change.
Elsewhere, according to preliminary estimates, the harmonised index of consumer prices rose by 1.3% in October, compared to the same period the previous year. This is below the euro area average of 2.1% and represents a slowdown compared with earlier months.
Food prices
Istat’s report also examined movements in food prices in Italy over the past four years – i.e. from October 2021 to October 2025 – and found that during this period, food prices increased by 24.9%.
This is nearly eight percentage points above the general harmonised consumer price index (17.3%), it noted, with the ‘considerable growth’ seen in 2022 and 2023 resulting from the energy price shock. Read more here.
