Exports: here are the provinces with the highest sales – Milan and Florence lead the way
In the South, Naples is the only city in the top 30. Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto are the leading regions.
Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto. And amongst the provinces: Milan, Florence Turin. Here are the top three Italian regions with the best export results for 2025. The ranking is taken from the Statistical Yearbook on Foreign Trade and International Business Activities compiled by ICE and Istat and published in recent days.
National figures
It paints a clear picture of an Italia that has weathered the storm, minimising the damage – and in some cases performing even better than expected – in a year marked by uncertainty and the Trump administration’s tariffs, as well as the fragmentation of supply chains, which remains an open wound caused by international crises.
In 2025, according to Istat data, the value of national exports of goods rose by 3.3 per cent, mainly driven by growth in central Italy and the pharmaceutical sector. The growth rate remained largely unchanged in the first four months of 2026 as well.
The top 30 provinces
In the top ten provinces, following the top three are Turin, Vicenza, Bergamo, Bologna, Brescia, Arezzo and Modena. Among the top ten in the ranking, the strongest growth in exports compared with 2024 was recorded by Florence (41.3 per cent), reaching a value of 34.2 billion euros, and Arezzo (+19.3 per cent to 18.5 billion). Milan, despite a 2.8 per cent decline – which brings exports down to 56.1 billion – remains in first place. Vicenza has fallen by a few decimal points; otherwise, the top ten shows nothing but growth.
South in the rear
Looking at the top 30 provinces by export value, only seven recorded a decline compared with 2024. However, it is also true that, within this broader group, Southern Italy continues to play a secondary role. In fact, the South is represented solely by the province of Naples, which ranks fourteenth with €14.5 billion (+3.7 per cent). To find other southern provinces, we have to go down to 35th place, where Syracuse appears (though the figure is largely influenced by the petrochemical complex), and to 44th place, where, with €5 billion in overseas sales, we find Bari.
