ROME, March 23 (Reuters) - Italy was the only major European Union economy to record a significant increase in exports to the United States in 2025 despite the tariffs introduced by President Donald
Italy bucks EU trend with 7.2% US export surge in 2025
Italy's Export Performance and Trade Dynamics in 2025
Surge in Italian Exports to the U.S.
ROME, March 23 (Reuters) - Italy was the only major EU economy to record a significant increase in exports to the U.S. in 2025, despite the tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump, official statistics show.
Italian goods exports to the United States rose 7.2% year-on-year, while German and Spanish exports both fell by more than 9% and French by 0.9%, Italian statistics agency ISTAT said in a report on industry competitiveness on Monday.
Factors Behind the Export Growth
The Italian performance was partly fuelled by front‑loading to avoid U.S. tariffs that kicked in on August 1, with a 9.6% year‑on‑year increase between January and July, ISTAT said.
Leading Sectors and Companies
It was led by multinational companies and the transport equipment sector, excluding motor vehicles, and pharmaceuticals, with respective increases of 59.5% and 54.1%, it added.
Italy's Overall Trade Resilience
Italy's international trade remained resilient, with a surplus of 50.7 billion euros ($58.48 billion) in 2025, as goods exports grew by 3.3% and imports by 3.1%, the agency said.
Exposure to Non-EU Markets and Risks
It warned, however, that Italy's exposure to non-EU markets, including the U.S., was higher compared to other large EU economies — a potential vulnerability as the global trade environment becomes increasingly unstable.
China's Growing Role in Italian Trade
The value of Italian imports from China jumped 16.4% in 2025 to a record 60.6 billion euros, pushing China's share of Italy's total imports to 10.3%, higher than Germany, France or Spain.
Impact on Italian Manufacturing and Pharmaceuticals
Chinese-sourced productive inputs for Italian manufacturing have risen 60% since 2017, while Chinese pharmaceuticals imports rose 934% last year to more than 7.7 billion euros, ISTAT said.
Strategic Imports and Geopolitical Risks
Italy's strategically important imports — such as energy products — account for roughly 20% of the total and remain exposed to geopolitical risks, the agency added.
Political Risk in Strategic Supply Chains
Without naming countries, the Rome-based institute noted that 60% of Italy's strategic imports come directly from states with "medium" or "high" political risk levels.
($1 = 0.8670 euros)
(Reporting by Antonella Cinelli and Valentina Consiglio, editing by Alvise Armellini and Alexander Smith)
