Between 2021 and 2024, Sardinia's added value grew by 10.9%, driven by manufacturing, construction, and services, a performance that has established the island as Italy's driving force. This figure not only significantly outperforms the national average (+6.7%), but also places the region at the forefront of the so-called "Southern Italy recovery," far surpassing the results of Campania (+10.4%) and Sicily (+10.1%).
This is what emerges from the analysis carried out by the Research Office of
Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna has monitored post-pandemic economic trends, the economy, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), analyzing 82 sectors that drive the regional economy, ranging from sustainable living to well-being, including technology, digital, mobility, tourism, creativity, the environment, and nature, not to mention dozens of other sector clusters.
"The consolidated data confirm that Sardinia has responded with determination to the difficulties of the post-pandemic period, building a growth path that now places it among the top national figures," commented Giacomo Meloni, President of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna . "This significant achievement stems from the commitment of businesses, especially artisan ones, workers, and local communities, but it must not cause us to lower our guard against the challenges that remain."

"The next challenge," Meloni continues, "is to support companies already projected toward the future , so that they can act as a driving force for the entire sector, transforming the drivers of growth into widespread well-being for the entire regional territory."
The Confartigianato Sardegna dossier highlights how this
performance is the result of an extraordinary mix of production factors.
The most striking data comes from the extended manufacturing sector, where the
Sardinia shattered all national records with a 45.1% growth in added value between 2021 and 2024.

This trend bucks the national trend, which in the same period showed a slight decline of 0.8%. The construction sector also played a leading role, with a 38.2% increase in added value. However, Confartigianato emphasizes, "the solidity of Sardinia's recovery is demonstrated by the fact that, even excluding construction, Sardinia remains Italy's leading region for economic growth, with a 9.2% increase in total added value (versus the national average of 5.4%) . Services growth was more modest, but still positive and in line with the island's dynamics, with 5.9% growth."

«The significant growth in added value recorded on the Island is
was supported mainly by manufacturing, construction and
from services – adds Meloni – sectors in which micro and small
companies have demonstrated the ability to adapt, innovate and
resilience. It is a positive sign that testifies to the vitality of the
Sardinian production system and its ability to seize opportunities
offered by economic and social changes".

"Alongside the encouraging results, however, some areas emerge that require further work," the President emphasizes. "The growth of businesses in the most dynamic sectors is a very positive development, but it remains essential to further expand the entrepreneurial base, foster generational turnover, support investments, and strengthen the competitiveness of our companies so that this development path can consolidate over time and involve an ever-increasing number of manufacturing companies."
Analyzing the connective tissue of micro and small businesses, the
The Confartigianato report highlights a profound transformation underway. Although the total number of registered artisan businesses
suffered a contraction of -2.4% between 2019 and 2024 (a figure
still better than the national -3.5%), the "driver" sectors
identified at the national level show surprising vitality.
The analysis found that in 24 key sectors, Sardinian businesses grew by 9.0% in absolute terms between 2019 and 2024, with an increase of 1,244 units . The most notable growth came from wellness (beauty salons, tattoo artists, piercing, manicures and pedicures), which grew by 402 businesses between 2019 and 2024. Sustainable living followed with 575 artisan businesses, and technology and
digital with +157.
«Despite its leadership in added value growth, the territorial comparison shows that Sardinia still has to fill the gap in terms of the incidence of growing businesses on the total craft sector . With its 45.0%, the Island remains below the national average of 53.8%, and far from territories such as
Trentino-Alto Adige (75.3%) or Piedmont (65.0%)", Confartigianato highlights.

«It is therefore necessary that regional and national institutions —
concludes Meloni — support this effort with targeted policies
to digital innovation, sustainability, and training, to ensure that this “recovery” is not just a cyclical and random phenomenon but a structural one."

(Unioneonline)

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