Moroccans Lead Foreign Entrepreneurs in Italy With 53,364 Businesses

A total of 53,364 Moroccans own a sole proprietorship in Italy. That puts the Moroccan community at the top of the ranking of foreign entrepreneurs, ahead of Romanians (52,541) and Chinese nationals (50,166). The gap with the Romanians is narrow, at just 823 businesses, but reaches nearly 3,200 with the Chinese. These three nationalities alone account for 32.4% of the country’s foreign sole proprietors.

The figures come from the official register of Italian businesses, analyzed by InfoCamere and Unioncamere as part of the Futurae project, supported by Italy’s Ministry of Labour. Published on October 9, the study provides figures as of June 30, 2026. It covers sole proprietorships, the only category that makes it possible to identify the owner’s nationality directly, rather than all companies controlled by foreign nationals.

Moroccans stand out particularly in commerce. Their presence is especially strong in southern Italy, notably in the provinces of Catanzaro, Reggio de Calabre and Messine. Romanians are more likely to work in construction, with a strong presence around Viterbe, Turin and Crémone. Chinese entrepreneurs are more prevalent in manufacturing and recreational services, particularly in Prato, in Tuscany, where they account for 67.2% of foreign sole proprietors.

More than 677,000 foreign-owned businesses in Italy

Moroccans’ top ranking comes amid a growing role for foreign entrepreneurship in the country’s economy. Italy had 677,188 businesses run by foreign nationals as of June 30, or about 12% of all registered businesses. Nearly four out of five are controlled by people from countries outside the European Union.

In the first six months of 2026, the country recorded 37,140 new foreign-owned businesses, compared with 21,043 that ceased operations. The net increase was 16,097 businesses. Growth was concentrated mainly among incorporated companies, whose numbers rose 11% in a year to more than 160,000. Sole proprietorships nevertheless remain the majority, making up about 70% of foreign entrepreneurship.

This economic activity is not evenly distributed across the country. Italy’s northwest accounts for 32.7% of foreign-owned businesses and recorded annual growth of 1.5%. In the south, the trend is reversed, with a decline of 3.6%, particularly in Campania and Calabria.

Moroccan entrepreneurs have had a presence in Italy for some time. A previous study published in 2015 already ranked them first among foreign nationals who owned businesses in the country. The statistical scope has since changed, but the latest figures confirm the Moroccan community’s importance in Italian commerce. More broadly, InfoCamere notes that at the end of 2025, about 35% of foreign-owned businesses in Italy had been operating for more than ten years.