The Italian business sector kicks off 2026 with an unexpected sign of vitality: 690 more businesses were registered between January and March, resulting from the difference between 105,051 new registrations and 104,361 closures. This is a counter-trend result, considering that the first quarter is historically penalized by the consolidation of closures that occurred at the end of the year. The only precedent in the last decade dates back to 2021, but in an exceptional context, distorted by pandemic dynamics. Today’s net figure, however, arises under ordinary conditions and, in particular, as the result of a significant decline in closures, against a backdrop of stability in new registrations compared to the same period of the previous year.
The quarterly growth rate thus stands at +0.01%, an improvement compared to the same period in both 2025 (-0.05%) and 2024 (-0.18%). As of March 31, 2026, the total number of registered businesses in Italy reached 5,811,877. These are the figures emerging from Movimprese, the statistical analysis conducted by Unioncamere and InfoCamere based on the Chambers of Commerce Business Register.
The quarterly balance between business openings and closures reflects the wait-and-see attitude of companies, which, in a climate of widespread uncertainty, are holding off on making final decisions until they can assess how the situation will evolve – stated Unioncamere President Andrea Prete –The results for Southern Italy are positive, confirming a growth trend in the southern regions that is also supported by other economic indicators.
Corporations: the true engine of growth
The positive balance for the quarter is entirely driven by the dynamism of corporations, which recorded an increase of 15,739 units (growth rate of +0.80%), accelerating compared to the same period in 2025 (+0.70%). This performance offsets the declines in sole proprietorships (-9,669 units, -0.33%) and partnerships (-4,879, -0.61%), confirming a structural trend: Italian entrepreneurship is progressively shifting toward more structured and capitalized legal forms.
Sectors: Services Advance, Traditional Sectors Decline
The sectoral analysis—which, for the first time, uses the new ATECO 2025 classification of economic activities—shows the Italian economy’s gradual shift toward services. The best performance was recorded in Financial and Insurance Activities (+2,301 firms, +1.55%) and in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Activities (+3,168 units, +1.25%). Real estate activities (+1,836, +0.56%) and business support services (+1,243, +0.54%) are also growing. On the other hand, more traditional sectors continue to struggle: Trade lost 9,617 businesses (-0.77%), Agriculture lost 6,141 businesses (-0.91%), and Manufacturing contracted by 2,517 businesses (-0.52%). Noteworthy is the strong percentage growth in the electricity, gas, and steam supply sector (+1.70%).
Geography: Southern Italy and Central Italy are the most dynamic regions
Southern Italy and the Islands recorded the best result in absolute terms: +1,673 businesses (+0.08%), driven by Campania (+1,193) and Sicily (+638). The highest percentage growth was in the Center (+0.12%, equal to +1,506 businesses), driven almost entirely by Lazio: +2,477 units, the highest regional figure in Italy, with a rate of +0.42%. Both northern regions closed in negative territory. The Northeast declined by 0.15% (-1,694 units), while the Northwest limited its losses to 0.05% (-795 businesses), thanks to Lombardy, which bucked the trend of its macro-region with a positive balance of +722 businesses. At the provincial level, in absolute terms, the best results come from Rome (+2,391), Naples (+1,192), and Milan (+1,093).
All data is available at http://www.infocamere.it/movimprese and can be explored via the interactive dashboard.
