Italy faces 64 billion euro public debt and private sector payment delays

While the Italian Public Administration has successfully reduced its average payment times to suppliers, its total commercial debt has reached 64.2 billion euros. This figure places Italy at the top of the European Union for outstanding commercial debt in 2025, according to an analysis by the CGIA di Mestre.

Beyond the public sector, private enterprises are also contributing to liquidity issues for smaller firms. Data indicates that only 42 out of 100 transactions between private companies meet agreed deadlines. The study highlights a significant disparity in payment punctuality based on company size: micro-enterprises respect deadlines in 42.7% of cases, small businesses in 41.8%, and medium enterprises in 35.7%. In contrast, large corporations show a punctuality rate of only 21%.

The CGIA reports that large companies are systematically using payment delays as a zero-cost financing tool. By leveraging their dominant market positions, these large firms improve their own working capital indicators at the expense of smaller suppliers, who are often forced to use expensive bank advances or factoring to maintain liquidity.