Notary data, donations of real estate up 6.8 per cent

On the upswing in 2024 the number of donations in Italy. According to the latest notarial statistical data report, prepared by the National Council of Notaries, real estate donations are showing a very positive trend: there were 217,749 in 2024, with a sharp increase, + 6.8%, compared to 2023 when there were 203,888 and 2022 when there were 212,992, approaching the record number of 221,642 reached in 2021. The total number of donations of movable property rose, albeit to a lesser extent, to 47,085 in 2024, 1.7% higher than in 2023, when it stood at 46,289, and almost equal to 2022, when it had been 47,574. The notary statistics are collected and processed on the basis of the activity of all notary offices in the country and represent the actual transactions carried out in Italy during 2024.
From an economic-legal point of view, donations are considered an anticipation of future inheritance, which is why they are a valuable tool for managing the generational transfer of money, businesses, real estate or, more generally, family assets during the lifetime of the estate.

There were 217,749 donations of real estate in 2024, an increase over previous years, since there were 203,888 in 2023 and 212,992 in 2022. Donations of houses or buildings in general (warehouses, shops, etc.) accounted for 56.45% of the total, an increase compared to 2023, when they were 55.81%. On the other hand, the number of donations of bare ownership of buildings remains the same as the previous year (16.64% of the total) and the number of donations of agricultural land is almost unchanged (13.25% of the total in 2024 compared to 13.72% in 2023).

Geographically speaking, the instrument of property donations is used more frequently in the south and the islands, where a total of 48.82% of the deeds in question are stipulated. In 2024, however, as was already the case in 2023, there is an increase in donations stipulated in the centre (14.67% of the total) compared to those stipulated in the islands (12.75%).

The regions in which more properties are donated in absolute terms are Campania with 13.07 per cent of the total, Trentino Alto Adige with 10.68 per cent, Sicily with 10.53 per cent and Apulia with 9.94 per cent.

From an age point of view, the age at which a property is received as a donation or is donated is constant compared to previous years: donors are usually between 18 and 55 years old, and the age group that receives the most donations is between 46 and 55 years old, with 26.11% of the total, while donations are made from the age of 56 onwards. The only exception in this respect is the donation of the usufruct of a building only, which is also frequently made in favour of older people: 16.47% of those receiving this type of donation are between 76 and 99 years old.