In 2024, Italy was the world’s fourth-ranked producer of iron oxide pigments (estimated, excluding the United States); and the fifth-ranked producer of feldspar and industrial sand and gravel, accounting for 7.1% and 3.1% of world output, respectively. The country was also one of the leading producers of stone in the world, in terms of volume. Other mineral commodities for which Italy was a leading world producer were salt and talc.
In 2024, the gross value added (GVA) of Italy’s industrial sector, which included construction, manufacturing, and mining, accounted for 25.4% of the total national GVA. Production of mineral commodities was estimated to have contributed 4.5% to Italy’s GVA. Specifically, manufacturing of base metals and metal products contributed 2.7%; manufacturing of plastic, rubber, and other nonmetallic mineral products, 1.6%; and mining and quarrying, 0.2%. Italy exported precious metals and stones; iron, steel, and articles thereof; mineral fuels; building stone; and aluminum and articles thereof to the United States. The basic legislative framework for the mineral sector in Italy is provided by the law No. 1443 of July 29, 1927. The Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) [Superior Institute for Environmental Protection and Research] and the Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (MASE) [Ministry of Environment and Energy Security] are the agencies overseeing the mineral industry. Mineral resources, by law, are the property of the Government; however, mineral commodities were produced mainly by private companies and by mixed public-private partnerships.
In 2024, the Decree-Law No. 84 of 25 June 2024, containing provisions on critical raw materials (CRM) of strategic interest, was passed. It defines measures aimed at implementing the secure and sustainable supply of strategic raw materials under the European Union (EU) Regulation 2024/1252, also known as the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. The Decree-Law was later converted into Law No. 115 of 8 August 2024, which entered into force on August 14.
