Key Indicators European Green Deal
At the end of March 2022, Eurostat released a new interactive visualization tool to display relevant statistics on the European Green Deal [non-linkable], one of the six priorities of the European Commission for the 2019–2024 period. With the European Green Deal, the Commission aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to decouple economic growth from resource use, leaving no people or places behind in the pursuit of this goal.
Eurostat’s tool allows users to monitor 26 key indicators for achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal, such as the net greenhouse gas emissions index, total climate-related economic losses in millions, or the amount of primary energy consumption.
Some ISPRA indicators correspond (not always in a one-to-one relationship) to the “environmental” indicators in the aforementioned core set.
In some cases, a single indicator from the ISPRA core set corresponds to one or more indicators in the reference core set, or vice versa, multiple indicators from the ISPRA core set correspond to a single indicator in the reference core set.
The indicator represents the historical series of national greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2024, by sector of origin. The analysis of the data shows, in 2024, a significant reduction in emissions compared to 1990 (-30.2%), explained by the economic recession which has slowed down consumption in recent years but also by a greater use of renewable energy, with a consequent reduction in CO emissions 2 of the energy sector (-30.2% compared to 1990).
n 2023, organic farming in Italy covered 2,456,020 hectares, involving approximately 94,400 organic operators. Organic agriculture accounted for 7.4% of all farms and 19.8% of the utilised agricultural area (UAA), according to the 2021 ISTAT Census, falling 5.2 percentage points short of the 25% UAA target for organic farming.
Over the past 33 years, the trend has been upward in both the number of operators and cultivated area, countering the long-standing decline in utilised agricultural area in Italy.
At the European level, Italy ranks among the most virtuous Member States.
The indicator measures the energy consumed by end users and the total energy consumed by the country. Since 1990, there has been an increasing trend in energy available for final consumption, with a peak reached in 2005 of 139 Mtoe. Subsequently, a reversal of the trend was noted, reaching a minimum reached in 2014 (114 Mtoe). Until 2018, a recovery in final consumption was observed, followed by a decline in 2019 and a sudden reduction in 2020 due to the lockdown of economic activities to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, followed by a recovery in consumption in 2021, and then a decline in the following two years. In 2024, the energy available for final consumption, accounted for according to the methodology adopted by Eurostat, is equal to 109.3 Mtoe, +0.4% compared to 2023.
The analysis of the composition of gross domestic energy consumption highlights a progressive reduction in the historical role of petroleum products. This decline corresponds to the growth of natural gas and renewable sources, which in 2024 reached shares of 36% and 21% respectively. Such diversification of the energy basket, driven by renewables, generates a positive impact on the security of supplies and on Italy's rate of energy self-sufficiency, historically among the lowest within the panorama of industrialized countries. Over the last 35 years, renewables have grown almost five times, going from 6.47Mtoe to 29.76Mtoe.
In Italy, the share of energy from renewable sources reached 20.4% of gross final consumption in 2020, exceeding the national target of 17%. In 2023, this share declined to 19.6%, remaining well below the 2030 target of 38.7%.
The indicator evaluates the demand for freight transport (also in relation to economic growth) and the evolution over time of modal split. The transport demand is increasingly met by road freight transport, which continues to dominate other transport modes in terms of growth and modal share (approximately 59% in 2024).
The indicator measures passenger transport demand (according to different modes) and compares its trend with that of economic growth and population. Transport demand is increasingly met by individual road transport (passenger cars and motorcycles), which, due to its growth and modal share (approximately 79% in 2024), remains dominant compared to other transport modes.
The indicator delves into the percentage distribution of the vehicle fleet circulating in Italy based on European emission standards (Euro classes) updated to 2024, highlighting the level of technological obsolescence and the environmental impact of the different categories of road vehicles. It constitutes a fundamental tool for evaluating the effectiveness of fleet renewal policies and for calculating the national inventory of climate-altering and polluting emissions into the atmosphere. In 2024, for Euro 0 cars there is a 13.4% share of petrol vehicles and 2.9% of diesel cars. More worrying is the situation of the commercial fleet, largely with diesel engines, where 10% of light vehicles (vans) and 24.9% of heavy vehicles remain in the Euro 0 class.
The penetration of cleaner technologies and zero or low emission vehicles varies significantly depending on the type of engine and intended use of the vehicle. While on the one hand the latest generation electrified and hybrid fuel systems show a strong concentration in the most advanced emission standards, at the same time there remains a non-negligible share of historic or traditionally fueled vehicles (especially petrol) belonging to the most obsolete environmental classes, such as Euro 0. This phenomenon highlights the persistence of an older fleet segment which slows down the overall process of decarbonisation of transport.
The Circular Material Use Rate (CMUR) measures the share of material resources reused by an economy. In the period 2004-2024 the rate of circular use of Italian materials goes from 5.8% to 21.6%
Statistical information on environmental taxes can be broken down by tax category, the units paying the tax, the class of environmental activity, and the destination of the revenue. In Italy, environmental taxes amounted to €60.8 billion in 2024 (+11.6% compared to the previous year). In 2023, revenue from environmental taxes accounted for about 6.1% of total tax and social contribution revenue and about 3% of Gross Domestic Product in 2024.
In 2022, total expenditure by the Italian economy on environmental protection amounted to €51.4 billion, corresponding to 2.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This latter value remained broadly stable over the period 2016–2022, indicating continuity in investments devoted to environmental protection. Resources are mainly allocated to waste management and wastewater management, which represent the two most significant expenditure items (46% and 25%, respectively).
Alongside these, with a smaller but still significant share, are expenditures for the protection and remediation of soil, groundwater and surface waters, the protection of biodiversity and landscapes, air and climate protection, as well as noise and vibration abatement activities (excluding workplaces). The picture is completed by expenditure on environmental research and development and other supporting activities, which contribute to the diffusion of innovative and sustainable solutions.
The indicator provides the percentage of groundwater monitoring stations divided into quality classes according to the average concentration of nitrates detected over a four-year monitoring period 2020-2023.
The classes typically represent conditions ranging from a low concentration of nitrates (good quality water) to high levels of contamination (at risk or polluted water). At a national level, 69.1% of monitoring stations have average nitrate concentration values lower than 25 mg/l (good quality water); while 11.7% of the monitored stations recorded an average nitrate concentration greater than or equal to 50 mg/l (polluted water). Comparing the values of the four-year period 2020-2023 with the previous one (2016-2019), a decrease in the average concentration is highlighted in 38.8% of the stations, an increase in 26.9% and stability in 34.4%.
The indicator evaluates the pressures on the environment and the efficiency of resources used by the economy to generate wealth, as well as its progress toward achieving a circular economy. In 2022, the ratio of national waste production to gross domestic product (GDP) was slightly above the European average (66 kg/1,000€ vs. 60 kg/1,000€). Overall, the economic system still appears unable to limit waste production in relation to the wealth produced.
The European Commission adopted the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (EBS 2030, COM(2020) 380 final), which calls on Member States to protect at least 30% of national land territory and 30% of marine areas, with at least one third of these areas under strict protection. These objectives have been incorporated into the Italian National Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (NBS 2030).
This indicator integrates spatial data relating to the main biodiversity protection systems in Italy (protected areas and the Natura 2000 Network). It calculates the extent of Italian territory currently protected on land and at sea, assesses changes from 1991 to 2024, and shows the gap between the percentage of protected land and marine areas and the 30% target set by the EBS 2030.
After removing overlaps between protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, national protected coverage currently amounts to approximately 4,071,482 hectares at sea, corresponding to 11.6% of Italian territorial waters and the Ecological Protection Zone (EPZ), and about 6,532,887 hectares on land, corresponding to 21.7% of Italian territory. The extent of overlapping areas—those falling both within a protected area and a Natura 2000 site—has increased over time, reaching 893,839 hectares at sea and 2,447,065 hectares on land in 2024. Trends show that the national percentage of protected surface has stabilised since 2006 for marine areas and since 2011 for terrestrial areas. To achieve the 30% target set by the EBS 2030, an additional gap of about 18% of marine surface still needs to be protected (around 6,600,000 hectares), along with 8% of terrestrial surface (around 2,500,000 hectares).
Both the number of protected areas and the extent of protected marine surface have steadily increased over time. At present, 30 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established in Italy, across 10 Italian regions, along with a further 10 areas protecting coastal marine stretches.
Sicily and Sardinia host the largest share of marine protected areas, both in terms of number and area of protected surface. Between 2012 and 2023, at the national level, the surface of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) increased by 3.1%, following the establishment in 2018 of the two MPAs of Capo Testa–Punta Falcone in Sardinia and Capo Milazzo in Sicily, and in 2023 of the Capo Spartivento MPA in Sardinia.
In Italy, a total of 843 terrestrial protected areas (including those with a coastal component) have been established to date, covering more than 3 million hectares, equivalent to about 10.5% of the country’s land surface. An analysis of the historical series (1922–2024) shows consistently positive trends—particularly from the mid-1970s—in both the number and the extent of terrestrial protected areas, while growth trends have tended to stabilize since 2008–2009.
In 2024 Italy confirms itself among the EU leader countries in terms of eco-innovation, with performances above the European average in resource efficiency, energy productivity, and emissions. Between 2014 and 2024, the Italian index grew by +39.2 percentage points (pp), exceeding the EU average increase (+27.5 pp), with a particularly marked improvement in resource efficiency (+64.4 pp compared to +62 pp EU).
The indicator provides the percentage of surface water monitoring stations divided into quality classes according to the average concentration of nitrates detected and in the four-year period 2020-2023, in order to provide an overview of the level of nitrate pollution. The classes typically represent conditions ranging from a low concentration of nitrates (good quality water) to high levels of contamination (at risk or polluted water). At a national level, 95.3% of monitoring stations have average nitrate concentration values lower than 25 mg/l (good quality water); while 0.6% of the monitored stations recorded an average nitrate concentration greater than or equal to 50 mg/l (polluted water). Comparing the values of the four-year period 2020-2023 with the previous one (2016-2019) shows a decrease in the average concentration in 22.4% of the stations, an increase in 20.6% and stability in 57% of the stations.
Farmland birds represent effective indicators of environmental quality due to their sensitivity to habitat changes and the feasibility of monitoring their populations using standardized methodologies on a large scale. Owing to these characteristics, the Farmland Bird Index is adopted by the European Commission as a context indicator of the Common Agricultural Policy to assess the state of biodiversity in agroecosystems and the effectiveness of conservation and rural land management measures.
The national indicator, calculated on the basis of the trend of 28 species typical of farmland environments over the 2000-2025 period, highlights an overall decline of 33.49%, with 71% of the considered species in decrease. The indicator relating to species typical of mountain grasslands (FBIpm), calculated on the trend of 13 species, also shows a reduction of 29.90%, with 46% of the species in decline. The results reveal a persistent deterioration of biodiversity associated with Italian farmland environments and the need to strengthen the conservation measures provided for by national and European biodiversity strategies.