Italy fourth in the world for number of family businesses
The weight of Italian companies in EY's Global 500 Family Business Index is growing. Revenues up 12% since the last edition in 2023
3' min read
3' min read
The long and consolidated tradition of family businesses in Italy is confirmed by the latest 'Global 500 Family Business Index', the analysis conducted by EY in collaboration with Saint Gallen University, which every two years ranks the 500 largest family businesses globally on the basis of revenues.
The 2025 Index also includes 22 Italian companies, accounting for 4.4 per cent of the global total, bringing our country to fourth place worldwide (after the United States, Germany and France) and third in Europe for the number of family businesses included in the study.
Italy's weight in the Index increases
.The data shows an increase in the number of family businesses in the Index, with four new companies joining, compared to the exit of two companies included in the previous analysis. The combined revenues of Italian companies increased from $160 billion in 2023 to $179 billion in 2025, a 12% growth. However, the average revenues of Italian companies, at $8.1 billion in the 2025 Index, are significantly lower than the European ($16.1 billion) and global ($17.6 billion) averages.
"Despite the challenges of the last few years and the recent tariffs that have introduced an additional element of uncertainty, Italian companies continue to demonstrate a strong ability to adapt to the external environment and grow, also thanks to a careful and investment-oriented management in technology, research and innovation," comments Massimo Meloni, EY Italy Private Leader and Italy Audit & Assurance Market Leader. "Resilience and flexibility, already demonstrated during the pandemic, are now more than ever crucial qualities to leverage on, in addition to decision-making readiness. In addition, in key sectors such as consumer products and advanced manufacturing, which are typical of the Italian family business landscape, a focus on product quality is a differentiating factor that can help address the current economic environment'.
It is interesting to observe the close connection between the family business model and the longevity of companies: 36% of the Italian companies included in the Global Index have a history of more than 100 years.
