OECD - Environment at a Glance

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).

Italy hosts a remarkable floristic heritage, both in terms of species and subspecies richness (2,815 lichens, 1,209 bryophytes, and 8,241 native vascular entities) and biogeographical value. Of the 8,241 Italian vascular plant,1,702 species (equal to 20.65%) are endemic, meaning they exist exclusively in the country. Among these, 1,128 species are regionally endemic, with their range restricted to a single Italian region (data updated to April 2024).

The indicator also highlights the IUCN risk status of 2,430 vascular plant entities (representing 29.5% of Italy’s vascular flora), identifying the main threats affecting them. Unfortunately, the overall conservation status cannot be considered satisfactory: 2.2% (54 species) of the 2,430 evaluated entities are extinct or likely extinct; 24.3% (590 species) are at risk of extinction.

Human-induced pressures related to land-use changes represent a major driver of plant species extinction risk. The Red List of vascular flora identifies the most critical pressures affecting species: Modification of natural systems (39% of the 2,430 assessed taxa are subject to this pressure);

Agricultural development (27%); Residential development (27%); Direct human disturbance in natural environments (20%).

The indicator provides an overview of the current presence of alien animal and plant species in Italy, describing their numbers and trends in introductions over the past century. It reports the average annual introduction rate (the mean number of new alien species introduced each year), the main pathways of introduction (according to CBD categories), and the distribution of invasive alien species of Union concern.

The number of alien species in Italy is steadily and continuously increasing. Based on the data currently available, more than 3,800 alien species have been introduced into the country, of which 3,699 are currently established in the territory. The average number of species introduced per year has grown exponentially over time — from 6 species per year in the 1970s, to 16 per year in the previous decade, and reaching 25 per year in the current one. The cumulative number of alien species introduced in Italy since 1900 also confirms this exponential trend, showing an increase of over 500% in 120 years.

The indicator represents the national trend in the emission values ​​of tropospheric ozone precursors: nitrogen oxides and non-methane volatile organic compounds, distinguished by sector of origin. The marked decrease from 1990 to 2024 is highlighted (-75% for NOx, and -57% for NMVOC), determined by the strong decrease in emissions deriving from transport.

The indicator describes the trend of national emissions of acidifying substances SOx, NOx and NH ₃, both at a total and sectoral level, highlighting the decreasing trend from 1990 to 2024 (-73%). With reference to Directive 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council, concerning the reduction of national emissions of certain air pollutants, which defines the national emissions reduction commitments compared to 2005, applicable from 2020 to 2029 and starting from 2030, sulfur oxides have reached the reduction percentage set for 2020 as early as 2009; ammonia since 2008, while nitrogen oxides reach it in 2016.

In 2024, Domestic Material Consumption in Italy stood at 486 million tonnes (-0.7% compared to 2023), while Resource Productivity grew to 3.76 euro/kg (+1.4%), confirming an improvement in the efficiency of the use of natural resources.

Estimates of the average annual exposure weighted for the population were developed ( Population Weighted Exposure , PWE) to the PM _2.5 aggregated at municipal level, through the integrated use of statistical measures and models. The data obtained, relating to the period 2016-2024, allow the comparison of PWE between all municipalities and to have a complete picture of the average exposure at a national level. 
In 2024, 100% of the population was exposed to levels above the WHO guideline value (5 µg/m ³). The national average of PWE was 12 µg/m ³ (minimum-maximum range: 4 – 24 µg/m ³). 
In the period 2016-2024, the national average goes from 15 µg/m ³ of 2016 at 12 µg/m ³ of 2024, recording a reduction of 20%.

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 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%

The indicator represents the trend of national emissions of particulate matter (PM2.5) by sector of origin from 1990 to 2024, highlighting a marked reduction over the years on a total level (-48.5%). The road transport sector, which contributes to total emissions with an emission share of 9.9% in 2024, presents a reduction of 77.5% over the entire period. Emissions from non-industrial combustion, in the same period, grew by 5.1%, representing the most important sector in 2024 with 57.3% of total emissions.

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).

The Italian fauna is estimated to include over 58,000 species, with the total number reaching approximately 60,000 taxa when considering subspecies. However, this biodiversity is under threat, as indicated by IUCN assessments and population trends. Among the 672 species of Italian vertebrates (576 terrestrial and 96 marine), 6 are extinct in Italy, and 161 are threatened with extinction (accounting for 28% of the assessed species). Different vertebrate groups show varying percentages of risk: 2% for marine bony fish, 19% for reptiles, 21% for cartilaginous fish, 23% for mammals, 36% for amphibians, and up to 48% for freshwater bony fish (considering the CR+EN+VU IUCN categories). Additionally, terrestrial and marine vertebrate populations are generally declining by 27% and 22%, respectively.

Breeding birds are the only group for which two IUCN assessments have been conducted, seven years apart. Of the 278 species assessed in the latest 2019 evaluation, 5 are extinct, and 67 are threatened (compared to 76 in 2013), representing 26% of the evaluated species. Half of Italy's breeding bird species are not at immediate risk of extinction.

Among invertebrates, 9% of corals, 11% of dragonflies, 21% of saproxylic beetles, 6% of butterflies, and 11% of assessed bees are threatened with extinction. Invertebrates also show negative trends; for example, 16% of dragonfly populations are in decline, five times higher than those increasing.

The indicator describes land use (agricultural, urban, industrial or commercial, infrastructure, recreational, natural and semi-natural, water bodies, etc.), reporting the territorial surfaces associated with different classes according to the CORINE Land Cover classification system. Between 2012 and 2018, there was a continued general increase in artificial urban areas, primarily at the expense of agricultural land. In Italy, as in the rest of Europe, cultivated areas show a contraction, linked not only to urbanization processes but also to agricultural land abandonment.

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.

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.