PEC, 3.5 billion messages in 2026: the new challenge is Europe
Twenty million active email accounts; 60 per cent of public sector organisations use them daily to communicate with other bodies. For 55 per cent of organisations, the main obstacle is the lack of cross-border interoperability
Originally introduced as a requirement for businesses, professionals and public authorities, certified email has also become part of the daily routine for those who are not obliged to use it. Twenty years after its introduction, there are an estimated 20 million active email accounts in Italia, and the number of messages is projected to reach around 3.5 billion by 2026.
Among the citizens who use it, 45 per cent do so every week or at least once a month for tax, social security, education, healthcare and housing association matters. Almost 3 million have also registered their certified email address (PEC) as their digital address on the National Register (INAD), in order to receive official communications from the public administration directly.
The figures are taken from the IDC White Paper entitled ‘PEC: Adoption, Use Cases and Prospects for Interoperability in the European Digital Ecosystem’. The study is sponsored by Aruba, a provider that manages 10 million email accounts – half of all active accounts – and was presented in Rome under the patronage of AgID. The survey, conducted in the first quarter of 2026, involved 300 organisations (120 companies, 90 public authorities, 90 professionals) and 800 citizens, 200 of whom were non-users.
Almost 8 out of 10 professionals use certified email regularly
The most intensive use remains in the professional sphere: 78 per cent of professionals use the PEC every day or every week, 64 per cent of companies use it to take part in calls for tenders and competitive procedures, and 63 per cent of organisations manage between two and five PEC accounts. Within the public administration, 60 per cent of bodies use it every day to exchange documents, opinions and authorisations with other administrations.
Process simplification is the main benefit for 52 per cent of organisations, a figure that rises to 76 per cent in the areas of tax and compliance. Over 95 per cent plan to maintain or increase their use of the system over the next twelve months.
