Non-profit, recovering Southern Italy

There is a slight increase in the number of non-profit institutions in Italy, 368,367 as at 31 December 2023 (+2.3% compared to 2022) matched by a growth in the number of employees reaching 949,200 (+3.2%). This snapshot of the non-profit world is provided by Istat data presented as a preview at the 25th edition of the Bertinoro Days for the Civil Economy, organised by Aiccon - Centre for Studies of the University of Bologna.

Istat data on non-profit organisations in Italy show a picture in which the differences at a territorial level are narrowing: between 2023 and 2022 non-profit organisations in the South grew by 4.1%, while in the Islands the increase was 2.3%. Growth in the North-East (+1.2%) and the North-West (+2.2%) was more contained. Even at an employment level the gap narrows, with the Islands recording the best performance in terms of employment of the workforce with a growth of +5.9%. The growth in the number of non-profit organisations in the South is also smaller, with the Islands recording the best performance in terms of employment of the workforce with a growth of +5.9%

Within the universe of non-profit organisations, the decrease in social cooperation (-2.6%) and a slight increase in foundations (+2.5%) is confirmed. From an employment point of view, the majority of employees are concentrated in cooperatives (53.6% of the total workforce employed), but the greatest increase in terms of employees is in foundations (+4.5% compared to 2022).

Non-profit institutions are mainly concentrated in the sectors of sports, culture and recreation. The latter in particular show a double-digit increase (+13.7%) when compared to the figure for 2022. Considering employees, the sector with the largest number of employees is related to the world of social cohesion, education and research and labour relations. According to the survey, the greatest growth in non-profit organisations is in the social promotion sector (+30% compared to 2022), and to a lesser extent in voluntary organisations (+4%). Considering legal form, due to the reduction in the number of social cooperatives, social enterprises decrease slightly (-1.4%), while the largest reduction is in non-profit organisations (-16.5%).

According to Istat, non-profit organisations that carry out at least one activity oriented towards sustainable development account for two thirds of the sector (67.0%). In particular, 45.5% of the activities relate to Goal 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities and are high in Goal 10 - Reducing Inequalities (22.2%), 16 - Peace and Justice (17.2%) and 4 - Quality Education for All (16%).