Economy - overview:
Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with high unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises. Italy also has a sizable underground economy, which by some estimates accounts for as much as 15% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture, construction, and service sectors. Italy has moved slowly on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system and these conditions will be exacerbated by the recent global financial crisis. The Italian government is seeking to rein in government spending, but the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: Italy's official debt remains above 100% of GDP, and the fiscal deficit - 1.5% of GDP in 2007 - could approach 3% in 2009 as political pressure to stimulate the economy and the costs of servicing Italy's debt rise. The economy will continue to contract through 2009 as the global demand for exports drop.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.821 trillion (2008 est.)
$1.834 trillion (2007)
$1.809 trillion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.399 trillion (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-0.7% (2008 est.)
1.4% (2007 est.)
1.9% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita:
$31,000 (2008 est.)
$31,500 (2007 est.)
$31,100 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 26.7%
services: 71.3% (2008 est.)

Labor force:
25.09 million (2008 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 4.2%
industry: 30.7%
services: 65.1% (2005)

Unemployment rate:
6.8% (2008 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 26.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.5% of GDP (2008 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.139 trillion
expenditures: $1.203 trillion (2008 est.)

Public debt:
103.7% of GDP (2008 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.6% (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate:
NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.93% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:
NA
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:
NA

Stock of domestic credit:
$3.084 trillion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$1.073 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Industries:
tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Industrial production growth rate:
-0.2% (2008 est.)

Electricity - production:
292.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:
316.3 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:
1.916 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:
34.56 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Oil - production:
166,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.702 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:
616,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:
2.223 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:
406.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:
9.706 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
84.89 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
68 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
73.95 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
94.15 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:
-$68.82 billion (2008 est.)

Exports:
$566.1 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Exports - commodities:
engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals

Exports - partners:
Germany 12.9%, France 11.4%, Spain 7.4%, US 6.8%, UK 5.8% (2007)

Imports:
$566.8 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Imports - commodities:
engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco

Imports - partners:
Germany 16.9%, France 9%, China 5.9%, Netherlands 5.5%, Belgium 4.3%, Spain 4.2% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$104 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.06 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$374.8 billion (2008 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$547.7 billion (2008 est.)