Global superyacht orders fall to 1.093, Italy's share rises to 52%.

Milan – The new Nautica in Cifre Monitor – Trends 2025/2026 reports, produced by the Confindustria Nautica Research Office and Geographies of the Italian Nautical Industry 2026, edited by the Symbola Foundation, were presented today at Palazzo Edison. According to the data, in 2024 the sector generated over 13 billion euros in added value and employed nearly 168 people, with employment growth of 5,6%. Piero Formenti, President of Confindustria Nautica, emphasized that "Today's event marks the launch of an annual series of initiatives through which Confindustria Nautica intends to provide the sector with analysis and strategic direction. In a global context characterized by significant economic and geopolitical changes, the Italian recreational boating industry continues to demonstrate solidity, adaptability, and strategic vision. Dynamics remain differentiated across segments: large-scale boating is growing, medium-scale boating is holding steady, while small-scale boating is more affected by consumer confidence, which is currently weakened by complex economic conditions. Our Research Office's data represents a fundamental tool for businesses and institutions to interpret these developments and guide the sector's strategies."

Stefano Pagani Isnardi, Director of the Confindustria Nautica Research Office, presented the sector's key economic indicators and outlook, confirming the consolidation of Italy's leadership in high-end shipbuilding and the overall resilience of the supply chain. The superyacht sector—after closing the 2025 calendar year positively, with 50% of companies reporting an increase in turnover compared to the previous year and 25% reporting stability—is seeing stabilization in growth rates in its current order book. Half of the shipyards are maintaining their order books at the same levels as 12 months ago, and a quarter of them are also reporting growth. This trend is confirmed by Boat International in its Superyacht Global Order Book 2026, which, despite a reduction in global orders of approximately 4% (from 1.138 to 1.093), sees the Italian share grow by 2 percentage points, reaching 52%, with 568 units ordered.

The situation for shipbuilding production up to 24 meters appears more complex. While estimates for 2025 showed a general decline, the current survey reveals more positive trends for the 2025/26 nautical year, with an increase in the number of companies forecasting growth in turnover, rising from 23% to 46%, reducing the expectation of a decline in turnover to less than a quarter of the sample. This recovery in productivity for vessels up to 24 meters is confirmed by data from the pleasure boat sales network sector. While 2025 closes with negative forecasts for 62% of the sample and stable forecasts for the remaining 38%, operators confirm improved expectations for the current nautical year: the share of the sample forecasting negative estimates has dropped by 25 points to 37%, while the share forecasting stability has increased to 50%, and 13% of companies also expect revenue growth. As recorded in 2024, for companies in the accessories and equipment sector, the wide variety of product types and sales destinations (superyachts, small boats, aftersales) leads to significant differences in results. Estimates for the 2025/26 nautical year are similar in terms of the distribution of responses to the 2025 data, but with a significant increase in positive responses, rising from 30% to 39%.

Regarding the marine engine sector, sentiment for the current nautical year shows an improvement in estimates: the percentage of the sample expecting revenue growth has increased from 25% to 38%, and the share of companies expecting stable turnover remains at 50%. Rental and leasing companies are reporting satisfactory results for 2025, with 57% of the sample reporting revenue growth, compared to 29% reporting a decline compared to the previous year, though limited to -10%. Sentiment for the current nautical year appears very positive, with 64% of respondents expecting revenue growth, 29% expecting a maintenance of previous levels, and only 7% expecting a possible decline. This picture confirms the strategic role of the ongoing regulatory simplification process, amplifying the positive effects that rental and charter services have on tourism, not just coastal tourism. For nautical tourism, port, and service companies, expectations for the current nautical year appear decidedly positive, with 75% of companies estimating revenue growth (up 25% compared to closing expectations for 2025). The percentage of companies expecting a reduction in revenue remains essentially unchanged: 12% for the 2025/2026 nautical year, compared to 13% for the preliminary 2025 figures. These data also confirm the growth trends reported in the statistical survey conducted by Assomarinas, a member of Assomarinas, in September 2025.

"The Italian recreational boating industry," says Marco Fortis, vice president of Fondazione Edison, scientific partner of Nautica in Cifre, "ranks among the world's top exporters and is increasingly emerging as one of the spearheads of our foreign trade: in the last rolling year (November 2024-October 2025), exports reached and exceeded €4 billion, recording one of the best results ever and confirming its position as one of the sectors with the highest growth rates in the last decade (fifth overall, considering the 4-digit Ateco sectors with exports exceeding €2 billion in 2024."

"The nautical sector represents one of the most dynamic segments of the economy," stated Domenico Sturabotti, director of the Symbola Foundation, "and is among the most significant Made in Italy manufacturing sectors in terms of economic impact and ability to activate along the value chain. This leadership is built thanks to a first-rate production network, spread across the country and integrated upstream and downstream. In 2024, as highlighted in the report, Geographies of the Italian Nautical Industry 2026 According to the Symbola Foundation and Confindustria Nautica, the sector generates over €13 billion in added value and employs nearly 168 people, with employment growth of 5,6%. Shipbuilding is highly concentrated in key regions (Tuscany, Lombardy, Marche, Liguria, Campania, Piedmont, Sicily, and Lazio), which represent hubs of specialization and expertise. The nautical industry remains a powerful economic multiplier: for every euro produced by shipyards, a total of €5,2 in added value is generated, and for every worker employed in the core sector, 7,1 jobs are created along the entire chain. At the same time, the study shows a growing concentration of value in shipbuilding compared to the rest of the supply chain. This trend reflects the structural strengthening of the shipbuilding industry, supported by a process of selective concentration that rewards the most solid operators and by a progressive increase in the importance of core activities, with the growing insourcing of strategic functions and higher value-added phases. This growth is closely linked to the ability to create a system and continuous investments in quality, innovation, and sustainability, which are crucial for consolidating the sector's international leadership."

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Nautical industry in numbers 2026