Casablanca – Moroccan nationals ranked first among foreign entrepreneurs in Italy, with 53,364 individual business owners as of June 30, according to data published by Italy’s Unioncamere and InfoCamere.
The figures place Morocco ahead of Romania, which recorded 52,541 business owners, and China, with 50,166. Together, the three communities accounted for 32.4% of foreign individual business owners in Italy.
The data show that foreign nationals owned or controlled 677,188 businesses across Italy at the end of June. The figure represented 11.6% of the country’s 5.82 million registered businesses, while 79% of foreign-owned businesses were linked to citizens from outside the European Union.
Moroccan entrepreneurs were particularly active in trade, according to the report. Their presence was strongest in the provinces of Catanzaro, Reggio Calabria and Messina, where businesses owned by Moroccan nationals recorded the highest concentrations.
The figures also show that foreign entrepreneurship continued to expand in Italy during the first half of 2026. A total of 37,140 new foreign-owned businesses opened between January and June, while 21,043 ceased operations, excluding administrative cancellations. The resulting balance was positive, with 16,097 additional businesses.
The growth was not limited to small shops and individual enterprises. Companies structured as capital-based entities increased by 11% over the previous 12 months, exceeding 160,000 businesses. Individual enterprises remained the most common legal structure, accounting for around 70% of the total, although their growth slowed.
More than one-third of foreign-owned businesses had been operating for over 10 years by the end of 2025, suggesting that many have established a lasting presence in the Italian economy.
Read also: Morocco, Italy Sign Agreement to Boost Economic Exchanges
Morocco and Italy have signed a new agreement to strengthen trade ties and help small and medium-sized enterprises access each other’s markets. The memorandum of understanding was signed in Prato on October 9 by the Organization for Trade and Industry of Morocco in Italy (OCIMI) and Italian business association CNA Toscana Centro.
The agreement aims to encourage joint ventures and long-term partnerships. Through OCIMI, Italian companies will receive support in identifying customers, suppliers and business partners in Morocco.
Beyond Morocco, the report shows that foreign entrepreneurship remains concentrated in northern Italy. Lombardy and the wider northwest accounted for 32.7% of foreign-owned businesses and recorded annual growth of 1.5%. Southern Italy moved in the opposite direction, with a 3.6% decline, particularly in Campania and Calabria.
Prato, in Tuscany, had the highest proportion of foreign-owned businesses among Italian provinces, at 33.7%. Trieste followed at 20.8%, while Imperia ranked third at 18.8%.
