Italy emerges as a major European space economy leader

According to the OECD report ‘The Space Economy at a Glance 2026’, Italy has established itself as a major European player in the space sector. In 2025, the Italian budget for civil space activities reached approximately 2.22 billion dollars (1.97 billion euros), marking an increase over the 2023-2024 period and surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Italy remains one of the three largest contributors to the European Space Agency (ESA) and possesses strong industrial expertise in space transport, Earth observation, telecommunications, and downstream services. The country’s space ecosystem includes over 350 companies, ranging from large system integrators to a growing community of startups.

Earth observation has emerged as the primary area of expenditure. Additionally, Italy has demonstrated high levels of public R&D investment in the space sector, recording a 14.1% share of total public R&D spending, a figure tied with France and higher than that of the United States.