Italian exports reached €175 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 7.9% on the first quarter of the year. Imports also increased, rising to €161 billion, a 6.6% quarter-on-quarter increase. The figures come from an analysis by Promos Italia, the national agency of Italy’s chamber of commerce system supporting businesses with international expansion, based on the latest data from Istat, Italy’s national statistics office.
Regions. Lombardy remains Italy’s leading exporting region. In the second quarter of 2026, exports from the region came close to €45 billion, up 10% on the first quarter. Lombardy’s imports reached around €48 billion over the same period, an increase of 5.7%.
It was followed by Emilia-Romagna, with €23 billion in exports (+9.6%), Tuscany, with €22 billion (+1.9%), Veneto, with €21 billion (+1.3%), and Piedmont, with €17 billion (+9.4%).
Leading provinces for exports. Milan topped the rankings in the second quarter of 2026, with more than €15 billion in exports, up 11.8% on the first quarter, and around €25 billion in imports (+4.4%).
Firenze followed with more than €8 billion in exports (+1.6%), ahead of Turin, with almost €8 billion (+11.7%), Arezzo, with almost €7 billion, and Vicenza, with more than €6 billion (+9.3%). Brescia, Bologna and Bergamo each recorded more than €5 billion in exports, while Modena and Monza recorded between €4 billion and €5 billion.
Overseas markets. Exports to the European Union rose by 7.6% between the first and second quarters of 2026. Among Italy’s main European markets, exports to Germany increased by 6.8%, France by 8.2% and the Netherlands by 12.6%. The UK (+5.5%) and Poland (+5.3%) also recorded growth.
Particularly strong performances were recorded in the Mediterranean region (+17.9%), the Middle East (+8.7%) and North Africa (+43%). Outside Europe, exports also increased to China (+14%), Canada (+12%), Brazil (+23%), South Korea (+16.5%), Saudi Arabia (+26%), Libya (+126%), Egypt (+41%), Morocco (+27%) and India (+7.5%).
“The second-quarter figures confirm the resilience and adaptability of Italian businesses in international markets, even at a time of geopolitical tensions and heightened economic uncertainty,” said Giovanni Da Pozzo, president of Promos Italia. The target set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of raising Italian exports to €700 billion by the end of 2027 is ambitious and provides a clear direction for the country’s productive economy. Achieving it will require the coordinated efforts being pursued across the Italian system, bringing together the work of institutions, the diplomatic and consular network, national agencies, the chamber of commerce system and local economies. Against this backdrop, Promos Italia and the chambers of commerce are helping businesses, particularly SMEs, to diversify their markets, providing services, expertise and practical initiatives capable of turning international opportunities into new avenues for growth.”
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