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 62% in 2023).

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 81% in 2023), remains dominant compared to other transport modes.

After the decline recorded between 2019 and 2020, due to the contraction in economic activity caused by the pandemic, in 2021 intramural Research & Development (R&D) spending by industrial enterprises began to grow again, rising from €10.7 to €11.1 billion (+3.3%), although it did not return to pre-pandemic levels. Nearly all of the expenditure (98.2%) is borne by manufacturing companies. Looking at the ten-year trend from 2012 to 2021, total spending increased by 32.5%. The share of business R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP stood at 0.86% in 2021 and 0.78% in 2022 (provisional data). Among European industrialized countries, Italy is the one whose companies spend the least on R&D in proportion to GDP, remaining below the euro area average (1.5%). However, between 2012 and 2021, Italian companies increased their R&D spending relative to GDP by 26.5%. The main source of funding is the companies themselves.