Italy faces business crisis as aging entrepreneurs outpace youth succession

A report by CNA titled ‘Imprese senza ricambio’ reveals a significant demographic crisis within the Italian productive system. As of June 2025, approximately 315,000 individual business owners are aged 70 or older, representing 10.7% of the total. This is an increase from 8.9% in 2015, occurring even as the overall number of individual business owners has declined.

This aging trend is compounded by a sharp decrease in young entrepreneurs. Between 2014 and 2024, businesses led by those under 35 fell by over 153,000 units, a 24% reduction. This decline is particularly severe in sectors such as construction (-38.7%), commerce (-36.2%), and industry (-35.9%).

The risk of failing to transfer technical skills, professional reputations, and client relationships is highest in agriculture, where 28.3% of owners are over 70. Regional data shows high concentrations of elderly owners in provinces like Grosseto, Viterbo, and Fermano. Experts warn that without active industrial policies and incentives for generational succession, the country faces a loss of vital productive capacity and specialized knowledge.