The Bank of Italy has published its 2025 annual report on the economy of Molise, showing a broadly stagnant regional economy. Its ITER indicator points to a 0.1 per cent fall in activity in 2025, compared with estimated growth of 0.7 per cent in southern Italy and 0.5 per cent nationally. Weak household consumption, flat productive investment and falling exports offset continued growth in public investment, including projects supported by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. In the first months of 2026, the regional outlook also worsened because of a weaker national and international backdrop and severe weather and landslides that temporarily disrupted production and transport links in the hardest-hit areas. The report identifies industry, and especially the automotive segment, as the main drag on output, while private services also weakened as retail consumption stayed subdued and tourism arrivals and overnight stays fell again. Construction activity still grew, though more slowly, supported by public works. On the household side, employment growth stopped, labour force participation fell and wage growth remained nominal, while purchasing power and consumption rose only modestly. In finance, bank credit to the non-financial private sector stabilised as the decline in business lending eased and household borrowing recovered, particularly consumer credit and mortgages, but credit quality deteriorated, mainly in the productive sector and involving a limited number of firms. Local public spending continued to rise, driven by capital expenditure, while the region's deficit improved in 2024 but remained high on a per capita basis.
Bank of Italy2026-06-18
Bank of Italy says Molise economy stagnated in 2025 as automotive weakness weighed on activity
The Bank of Italy's annual report says Molise's economy was essentially flat in 2025, with activity slipping 0.1 per cent as weak consumption, stagnant business investment and lower exports outweighed stronger public investment. Automotive manufacturing and private services were the main weak spots, while construction was supported by public works. Bank lending stabilised as household borrowing recovered, but credit quality worsened, particularly for businesses.