Strong presence (23.6%) of female enterprises in the south

According to data from the business registry, in the first quarter of 2024 the number of businesses in the South (Campania, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia) decreased by 0.12%, substantially in line with the national average value of -0.18%. Overall, the South is characterised by a less lively entrepreneurial system compared to the rest of the country: the birth rate of businesses (1.57 registrations in the first quarter of 2024 out of 100 businesses registered at the end of 2023) is significantly lower than the average rate for the peninsula (1.79) and the other macro-areas (North-East 1.94; North-West 1.85; Lombardy 2.02). A low growth rate, however, is contrasted by a low business mortality rate. In fact, the mortality rate is 1.69, significantly lower than the Italian average (1.98) and that of the other macro-areas (North-East 2.20; North-West 2.21; Lombardy 2.13). Among the regions, Basilicata stands out, the only region in Italy to have a positive sign, with a growth in companies in the first quarter of 2024 equal to 0.05%. The region also has high birth and death rates (1.94 and 1.89 respectively) and is more in line with values in northern Italy. Puglia is also characterised by higher rates (1.74 and 1.83 respectively), while Campania (1.61; 1.71), Calabria (1.40; 1.54), Sicily (1.44; 1.61) and Sardinia (1.48; 1.56) have much lower values.

Going down to the provincial level, Siracusa (+0.24%), Sassari, Matera (both with +0.23%) and Naples (+0.09%) are at the top of the provincial rankings for enterprise growth rate in the first quarter of 2024 (respectively 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th place). In particular, Syracuse is the province with the lowest business death rate compared to all other Italian provinces (1.19), while Matera is the southern province with the highest birth rate (2.00) and ranks 17th in Italy.

A specific focus on female entrepreneurship shows a strong component of female businesses in Southern Italy (23.6%) compared to the national average of 22.3%, but also compared to the other macro-divisions: North-East 20.4%, North-West 22.4%, Lombardy 19.4%. In particular, Basilicata and Sicily stand out in the area for the greater weight of female entrepreneurs in the local business fabric with a share of 26.5% and 24.4% respectively. Two provinces in Campania lead the ranking of female entrepreneurship, with Benevento in first place with a share of 29.5%, followed by Avellino with 29.0%. At sector level, there are no major differences with the Italian average, apart from a lower female component in the retail sector compared to the Italian average (30.0% vs. 32.1%). The sectors with the highest rate of female entrepreneurship in the South include: non-residential social care services (52.7%), residential social care services (47.0%), clothing manufacturing (38.9%), housing (37.2%), textile industries (37.0%), libraries, archives and museums (34.7%) and education (33.7%).