UN - SDG Goals

The indicator evaluates the extent and evolution of Italian families' spending on transport, analyzing whether this item has a fixed or variable impact on the overall family budget. In 2024, the average monthly expenditure on transport stood at 297.22 euros. Comparing this data with 2015, two different weights can be seen depending on the prices considered: at current prices there is a decrease of around 12%, while at constant prices an increase of 10%. The evolution of spending in the last decade clearly shows the impact of socioeconomic events: in the period 2015-2018 there was a phase of constant growth, with an increase of 10%. In 2019 there was a first sign of a reversal of the trend, with a slight reduction, followed the following year by the vertical collapse of mobility and a 25% contraction in spending. In the last period (2021-24) there is a progressive recovery, even if the full return to pre-pandemic levels was only achieved in 2024. The negative peak of 2020 spared very few sectors: all expenditure items suffered a contraction, with the exception of food products, which remained constant during the pandemic and grew progressively in the following years. In the budget of Italian families, transport spending is consolidated as the second most important cost item. However, spending on housing and utilities remains firmly in first place, the economic value of which exceeds that for mobility by more than three times. 

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.

Final electricity consumption grew constantly from 1990 to 2008 and then decreased due to the economic crisis. Following the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, consumption in 2020 decreased by 5.7% compared to the previous year with a rebound of 6.2% in 2021 followed by a decrease in subsequent years. In 2024 there is a decrease of 2.8% compared to 2021, reaching a value of 24.4 Mtoe. The share of consumption in industry has fallen from 51.7% in 1990 to 37.6% in 2024, that of the tertiary and residential sectors has increased from 43.2% to 56.9%, that of agriculture and fishing has changed very little, going from 2% to around 2.4%, while that of transport, with some fluctuations, remains around 3%.

The energy intensity indicator expresses the relationship between energy consumption (whether gross or final) and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expressed at chain-linked market prices. This parameter represents a fundamental measure of the energy efficiency of an entire economic system, indicating how much energy is consumed to generate a unit of wealth. The analysis of the Italian time series between 1995 and 2024 reveals a progressive and structural decoupling between economic growth and energy consumption. In the face of economic fluctuations, the Italian productive and civil system has recorded a clear increase in efficiency, significantly reducing the quantity of energy necessary to produce national wealth, driven above all by the technological transformation of the industrial and civil sectors.

The internal comparison within the European Union highlights that Italy's primary and final energy intensity is lower than the European average due to the historical shortage of primary energy sources (which has favored the creation of economical behaviors and infrastructures in the use of energy and a production structure that is not excessively energy-intensive), the strong taxation (which has increased the cost of energy sources to end users beyond the values ​​of other countries), the lower per capita income, and the relatively mild climate. According to an increasing ranking of gross energy intensity values, Italy ranks 7th among the countries of the European Union.

The indicator consists of the ratio between atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases and final energy consumption by sector. The average value of emission intensities shows a difference between the sectors in relation to the different diffusion of renewable sources. Overall, emission intensity for final uses decreased by 29.8% from 1990 to 2024. The data shows that policies for the decarbonisation of energy consumption have produced appreciable results in the sectors of electricity production and in the manufacturing industry. On the contrary, the transport sector, decidedly less centralized than the sectors mentioned, represents the real "hard core" and the main challenge for the coming years.

The ratio of final energy consumption to total energy consumption measures the overall efficiency of converting energy from primary sources. The difference between these two values corresponds to losses in conversion processes (such as electricity generation and oil refining), internal consumption of power plants, and distribution losses. From 1990 to 2023, the average ratio in our country (75.9%) has been higher than the European average (69.1%). In recent years, a significant increase in the ratio has been observed.

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%.