In 2024 the yachting industry growth had once again proved to be a strong and evolving industrial sector. Turnover in this area (including shipbuilding and the production of marine engine accessories) had reached an all-time high of €8.60 billion (+3.2% compared to 2023, i.e. 270 million more).
Italy had also confirmed its relevance on the international market, with a 25% share worldwide. These are some of the figures that emerged from the 2025 edition of the report “La Nautica in Cifre” (“The boating industry in figures”), produced on the initiative of Confindustria Nautica and Fondazione Edison.
The sector in figures
87.8% of the sector’s overall turnover came from domestic production, at €7.55 billion. 78.1% of domestic production had been placed on foreign markets, worth €5.90 billion, an increase of 5.9% compared to 2023, confirming the strength of Italian yacht exports.
The share destined for the domestic market had been 21.9%, amounting to approximately € 1.65 billion (+3.3%). The largest contribution to domestic production had come from the construction of new units, which alone employs more than half of the sector’s workforce (17,510 people), an increase of +3.7%. The refit, repair and storage area also grew, reaching 4,640 employees (+7.9%), reinforcing the importance of the marine industry outlook 2026.
Cautious forecasts
According to the report “La Nautica in Cifre Monitor – Trend 2025/2026”, which contains data on market trends for the current boating year, derived from a statistical survey on boating turnover estimates, conducted by the Ufficio Studi di Confindustria Nautica in cooperation with Fondazione Edison in November and December 2025 on a sample of member companies, after the good results of 2024, companies in the boating industry are facing an increasingly complex economic context.
It is still the manufacturers of larger boats that paint the most optimistic picture. Unlike a year ago, when there were no forecasts of a decrease, 25% of the companies expect a deterioration of between 5 and 10 percentage points compared to 2024. Another 25% expect stability, while 50% of the sample expects growth, respectively within +5% (25% of the sample), between +5 and +10% (12.5%), and up to 20% (12.5% of the respondents).
The projections for the superyacht market analysis segment are less favourable: more than half of the sample (54%) expects a decline, while the remaining 46% are equally divided between the companies that expect stable or growing turnover in 2025 compared to 2024.
Superyachts: a winning segment
The superyacht sector closed the 2025 calendar year on a positive note, with 50% of companies reporting growth in turnover compared to 2024. Half of the shipyards are keeping their order books in line with the levels of 12 months ago, while a quarter are reporting growth figures. The trend is confirmed by Boat International in the Superyacht Global Order Book 2026, which, against a reduction in world orders of about 4% (from 1,138 to 1,093), sees Italy’s share growing by 2 points, reaching 52%, with a number of units equal to 568 orders.
Shipbuilding production up to 24 m is more articulated. While the closing estimates for 2025 reported a generalised downturn, the current survey shows more positive trends for the nautical year 2025/26, with an increase in the number of companies forecasting a growth in turnover (from 23% to 46%) and less than a quarter of the sample forecasting a drop in turnover.
This recovery in productivity for vessels up to 24 m is confirmed by data from the boat sales network sector. Faced with a 2025 ending with negative forecasts for 62% of the sample and stability for the remaining 38%, operators confirm better expectations for the current boating year: the share of the sample forecasting negative estimates drops by 25 points, to 37%, while the share of those forecasting stability grows to 50%; 13% of companies foresee a growth in turnover.
Accessories, equipment, marine engines
As recorded in 2024, for companies in the accessories and equipment sector, the wide variety of products and sales destinations (superyachts, small boats, aftersales) leads to significant differentiation in results. The estimates for the nautical year 2025/26 are similar, in the distributional variety of responses, to the 2025 figure, but with an increase in positive responses, which rise from 30% to 39%.
In relation to the marine engine sector, sentiment on the current nautical year shows an improvement in estimates: the percentage of the sample estimating a growth in turnover rises, in fact, from 25% to 38%, and the share of companies assuming stability in turnover is confirmed at 50%.
Nautical tourism is holding up
Leasing and chartering companies show satisfactory results for 2025, with 57% of the sample reporting a growth in turnover, compared to 29% reporting a reduction compared to the previous year, however contained within -10%. Sentiment on the current boating year appears to be very positive, with 64% of respondents predicting a growth in turnover, 29% a maintenance of previous levels, and only 7% a possible decrease. This picture confirms the strategic role of the ongoing process of regulatory simplification, amplifying the positive effects that chartering have on tourism and reinforcing global yacht market trends.
In relation to nautical tourism companies, ports and services, expectations are positive, with 75% of companies estimating a growth in turnover (+25% compared to expectations for 2025). The proportion of companies expecting a reduction in revenue remains unchanged: 12% for the 2025/2026 nautical year, compared to 13% for the 2025 forecast. These figures confirm the growth trends reported by the statistical survey conducted by Assomarinas, the Italian marina association, in September 2025.
With regard to receptivity, the Pagine Azzurre 2025 research confirms that most of the ports in Italy are multifunctional (458, or 58% of facilities). They are followed by mooring points (236, equal to at 29.9%) and marinas (96, 12.2%). Sicily and Sardinia record the highest number of infrastructures (142 and 119), followed by Liguria and Campania (70), Apulia (69), Tuscany (65) and Veneto (60).
Attention to exogenous factors
For the future, companies in the nautical sector expressed some concerns. Among the exogenous factors analysed, political tensions are the most important element. High interest rates are considered relevant, along with labour costs. Despite the gradual reduction of criticality in recent seasons, inventories are still a problem of significant impact for many operators.
In this context, the exploit of global exports of Italian shipbuilding production remains the most significant element of growth in recent years, confirming once again the strength of Italian yacht exports and the resilience of the Italian boating industry.
ITALY – STATISTICS AND FACTS
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
GDP growth (2025)
- +0.5% (in volume)
- (Source: ISTAT)
GDP growth per capita (2025)
- + 0.5%
- (Source: Worldometer)
High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI)
In Italy, the number of Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, who have assets over €30 million, will increase fivefold by 2024. There are also 3.1 million sub-HNWIs (5.2%), people with financial assets of more than €250,000 and an investment capacity of at least € 25,000 per year.
(Source: Knight Frank wealhreport)
Retail expenditure in Italy (January 2026)
- 2,5%
- (Source: Trading Economics)
Consumer confidence (February 2026)
- 97.4 index points
- (Source: Trading Economics)
Unemployment (February 2026)
- 5,10%
- (Source: Trading Economics)
New car sales (February 2026)
- 157,334 new cars registered (+14% over February 2025)
- (Source: Marklines)
NAUTICAL MARKET INDICATORS
Total turnover of the Italian marine industry (2024)
- 8.60 billion (+3.2% compared to 2023)
Breakdown of global turnover from Italian marine production
- 78.1% sales on foreign markets
- 21.9% sales on the domestic market
Imports:
- 13.9% of the market
- (Source: Confindustria Nautica)
Fleet of boats registered in Italy
- up to 10 m 45.00%
- from 10.01 to 12 m 26.30%
- from 12.01 to 18 m 24.20%
- from 18.01 to 24 m 4.30%
- over 24 m 0.20%
Breakdown by propulsion of registered boats
- 75.70% motor
- 24.10% sail-powered
- 0.20% pleasure boats
- (Source: MIT)
MARKET-LEADING ITALIAN COMPANIES IN THE SUPERYACHT SECTOR
- Azimut-Benetti
- Sanlorenzo
- Italian Sea Group
- Overmarine
- Baglietto
- Cantiere delle Marche
- Palumbo Superyachts
- (Source: Global Order Book 2025)
