Sardinian craftsmanship continues to grow and ranks third in Italy, just behind Valle d'Aosta and Trentino, in terms of sector growth rate in the third quarter of 2026.

Between July and September, in fact, the island's artisan businesses registered 445 new registrations and 333 closures, with a positive balance of 112 businesses and a growth rate of 0.33%.

As of September 30, the total number of artisan businesses reached 33,858.

This performance, as mentioned, places Sardinia on the national podium, behind Valle d'Aosta (+0.79%) and Trentino-Alto Adige (+0.37%), and ahead of regions such as Lazio (+0.31%) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (+0.30%).
These are the data relating to the demographics of Sardinian artisan businesses in the third quarter of 2026, elaborated by the Research Office of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna , based on Movimprese sources and Infocamere-UnionCamere data.
"Although these are small percentage changes, they represent positive signs for our sector and consolidate a trend that has been ongoing for several quarters," commented Giacomo Meloni , President of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna. "This is especially true given that the pace of growth in the artisanal sector is slowing nationwide. On the contrary, our island is consolidating its ability to generate new businesses and continuing to improve its results."

"This trend enhances the role of artisan businesses in the regional economy, while highlighting local differences that require attention," Meloni continues. "The challenge now is to transform this momentum into lasting growth, supporting the creation of new businesses, the continuity of existing ones, and the ability of artisans to create jobs and keep local communities alive."

The report emphasizes that this figure is even more significant when compared to the national trend. In Italy, the artisan sector grew by just 0.11%, with a net increase of 1,401 businesses out of a total of 1,225,910. Sardinia also significantly outperforms the average for the South and the Islands, which stands at 0.18%, and that of the other macro-regions: Northwest (+0.13%), Central Italy (+0.08%), and Northeast (+0.06%).
At the island provincial level, to support growth
of regional craftsmanship are above all three territories, all
capable of ranking among the top 20 Italian provinces for sector dynamism. In percentage terms, Nuoro is the leading Sardinian province for growth with a +0.40% and 15th nationally, followed by Cagliari, second with +0.39% and 17th nationally, Sassari-Gallura third with +0.33% and 18th nationally . Oristano is slightly lower at -0.21%.

In absolute terms, Cagliari leads the regional rankings in terms of new registrations and balance: 184 new businesses, 135 closures, and 49 additional businesses. Sassari follows, with 148 registrations, 107 closures, and a positive balance of 41 businesses.
Nuoro also stands out, with 84 registrations and 57 closures, recording 27 more artisan businesses. All three regions significantly exceed the Italian average of 0.11%, confirming the crucial contribution of provincial economies to the island's performance. Oristano closes with 29 registrations and 34 closures, a negative balance of five businesses.

"We must continue to work to empower entrepreneurs to invest, hire young people, and pass on skills that are often the fruit of decades of experience ," Meloni continued. "Effective tools like Regional Law 949 for the artisan sector play a fundamental role in this process and must be supported and strengthened."

«We continue to propose to the institutions a concrete and continuous discussion, with simple measures, certain times and
"Adequate resources," the President concludes, "we're not asking for privileges, but for fair conditions to do business, compete, and create jobs. Now we must work together so that this isn't just a temporary outcome, but a concrete prospect for the island's economic and social future."

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