Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated in an interview published on Saturday that she anticipates the nation's economy to grow by 1% this year, aligning with the average rate across the eurozone.
Her government had previously forecast a 0.6% expansion of gross domestic product (GDP) for 2026 back in April. However, Italy's parliamentary budget office, UPB, released a more optimistic projection last month, anticipating a growth rate of 0.9%.
Meloni remarked, "The Italian economy is demonstrating solid performance, and the data from the first half of the year suggests that the growth rate for 2026 could reach 1%, a level that matches or potentially surpasses the eurozone average."
Italian GDP grew by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter between January and March, followed by a 0.2% increase in the second quarter. By the end of June, the so-called "acquired growth rate" stood at 0.8%, implying that even if GDP remained flat in the final two quarters of 2026, the annual growth would still exceed 2025 levels by 0.8%.
Meloni added, "It is true that the Italian economy has struggled to achieve sustained and consistent growth over many years." She cited high energy costs and low productivity as key factors contributing to this situation. "We are actively working to address these challenges, but the results of these efforts will only become apparent in the medium term," she said.
In 2025, Italy's economy grew by 0.5%. Despite hundreds of billions of euros in pandemic recovery funds injected by the European Union, the country's economic growth has not exceeded 1% in the past three years.
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