Key facts
- ISTAT cut Italy's 2026 GDP growth forecast to 0.7%.
- The previous forecast was 0.8%.
- ISTAT estimates the average jobless rate at 5.5% for 2026.
- This is down from a 6.1% estimate in December.
Italy's national statistics bureau, ISTAT, has lowered its GDP growth forecast for 2026 to 0.7%, down from a previous estimate of 0.8%. The bureau also projects an average jobless rate of 5.5% for 2026, an improvement from the earlier 6.1% estimate. The Italian government has also reduced its growth outlook.
The revised forecasts from ISTAT and the Italian government suggest a more subdued economic outlook for Italy, potentially impacting investment and consumer confidence amidst global geopolitical uncertainties.
Italy's national statistics bureau, ISTAT, has revised its economic outlook, lowering the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for 2026 to 0.7%. This represents a reduction from the previously anticipated 0.8% growth. Concurrently, ISTAT has estimated that the average unemployment rate for the year will stand at 5.5%. This figure is an improvement compared to the bureau's December estimate of 6.1% for the jobless rate. ISTAT also projected that Italy's economy would expand by 0.7% in 2027, with the jobless rate remaining at 5.5%. The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, had previously cut its own growth outlook to 0.6% for both 2026 and 2027, citing rising energy prices and Middle East tensions. Italian GDP grew by 0.5% in 2025, marking the third consecutive year of growth below 1%.
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