Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, Technology and Infrastructure

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.

The 2022 update highlights the continued recovery of intramural Research and Development (R&D) expenditure by industrial enterprises, reaching €11.39 billion (+3.1% compared to 2021), surpassing for the first time the pre-pandemic peak of 2019. Almost all of this expenditure (98.9%) continues to be borne by the manufacturing sector, while the contribution of extractive activities, energy supply, and waste management services accounts for just 1.1%. Over the decade 2012–2022, total investment grew by more than a third (+36.6%), as shown in Table 1. When related to GDP, the share stood at approximately 1.31% in 2023 (1.37% in 2022), a level that keeps Italy below the euro area average and behind its main European industrial partners.