Political Report Card Logo * What we do * Who we are * Newsletters * Book * Support us * fb * tw * ig Near Support us Menu backwards ## Di Maio does not yet know how much export and tourism weigh on the GDP by Editorial Staff | 09 December 2021 ![\\"Report card](\\"\\") Luigi Di Maio The declaration «32 percent of the Italian gross domestic product is made in exports Italy. Another 15 percent is tourism" (min. 59:19) Source: Youtube | December 9, 2021 facebook twitter whatsapp email ![\\"Handle\\"](\\"\\") Handle Brief verdict Pinocchio going On 9 December, guest at the Atreju event of Fratelli d'Italia in Rome, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio (5 Star Movement) declared (min. 59:19) which is over a third of Italy's gross domestic product (GDP). comes from exports and that 15 percent of GDP is generated by tourism. Both of these figures are greatly exaggerated. And on the contribution of products made in Italy on the GDP is not the first time that Di Maio has fallen into mistake. The error on exports Already in February 2020 and January 2021 we have published a couple of fact-checks to explain how it is wrong to repeat that «32 percent of the Italian gross domestic product is made in exports Italy". Di Maio had also done the same on at least two other occasions statement. To understand where the error lies, you need to do a quick review how GDP is calculated. GDP is the value of products and services created within a state over the course of a year. To calculate it you can look on the supply side, i.e. those who produce the goods and services, or on the supply side demand, i.e. who buys the goods and services produced. Beyond the side analyzed, the final result does not change. When quantifying the product gross domestic product, exports are explicitly taken into account if we look at the demand side, but not in the sense that Di Maio did. In in this case three items are added together: the "expenditure for final consumption national” of families, institutions and public bodies administrations, “investments” and so-called “net exports”, i.e. the difference between exports and imports. In this way yes they consider goods and services produced in Italy and sold abroad, and yes goods and services produced abroad and sold in Italy are discounted. Let's take it data before the pandemic. In 2018 net exports were equal to Approximately 44 billion euros, approximately 2.5 percent of the GDP of that year, while in 2019 they were equal to 55 billion euros, approximately 3 percent of the GDP that year. Both percentages are ten times lower than the «32 percent" cited by Di Maio. Where is the Foreign Minister's mistake? As we have seen, it does not consider net exports, but exports as a whole. In this case, as an order of magnitude, we can say that total exports are more or less equal to a third of Italian GDP (almost 1,800 billion in 2019). But it is wrong to argue that exports constitute a third of our country's GDP. The mistake about tourism We come now to the contribution of tourism to the GDP, which according to Di Maio would weigh for a 15 percent of our country's gross domestic product. Things aren't right but like this. Here too we see what the official statistics say preceding the outbreak of the pandemic. According to Istat data, in 2017 the value added to the GDP generated by the tourism share of the activities alone hotels, restaurants and transport, just to name a few, has been equal to 93 billion euros, approximately 6 percent of the GDP of that year. There percentage rises to 13.4 percent – ​​a figure still lower than the «15 percent hundred" cited by Di Maio - if the contribution of the related industries is included, i.e. of all activities attributable to tourism, but from which not only the tourists. Think for example of restaurants, not only frequented by people tourists. In addition to the items mentioned above, they also fall into this case retail trade or cultural, sporting and entertainment services entertainment. – Read also: No, tourism does not generate 13 percent of Italian GDP The verdict According to Luigi Di Maio, «32 percent of the product Italian gross domestic product" is made up of the export of products made in Italy, while another 15 percent comes from tourism. Both of these two percentage are exaggerated. The value of Italian exports, in their complex, it is more or less equivalent to a third of the value of the Italian GDP, but this does not mean that one third of our GDP is made up of exports. In fact, only taxes are included in the calculation of the gross domestic product “net exports” (i.e. excluding imports), which contribute to production of approximately 3 percent of GDP. Tourism, on the other hand, generates approximately one 6 percent of GDP, a percentage that rises to around 13 percent considering also activities that are not always and not entirely linked to tourism. Because of this reason, Di Maio deserves a “Pinocchio andante”. * Economy * Exports ## SUPPORT REPORT CARD Politics without small talk. Help us realize our project for one new political information in Italy. join us ![\\"Report card](\\"\\") Share facebook twitter whatsapp email READ OUR CORRECTIONS POLICY ![\\"Report card](\\"\\") Preview Newsletters #### Europe's Money On Mondays, every two weeks On Monday, things to know about the over 190 billion euros that the Union European Union will give to Italy by 2026. sign up I have read the privacy information #### Latest fact-checking * Go to the verdict ### «In the Structural Budget Plan it is written that excise duties on diesel fuel will increase" September 30, 2024 Source: Tagadà – La7 Read the article ![\\"Report card](\\"\\") #### Matteo Renzi Italia Viva * Go to the verdict ### «Fitto will have two important mandates and will be an executive vice president, result that Italy had never achieved" September 17, 2024 Source: Radio Radicale Read the article ![\\"Report card](\\"\\") #### Giovanni Donzelli Brothers of Italy * Go to the verdict ### «With the second Conte government, the first thing we did was change the “Safety” decrees» September 16, 2024 Source: La Stampa Read the article ![\\"Report card](\\"\\") #### Giuseppe Conte 5 Star Movement * Go to the verdict ### «With the two years of Meloni, fixed-term contracts have increased» September 13, 2024 Source: la Repubblica Read the article ![\\"Report card](\\"\\") #### Elly Schlein Democratic Party Fact-checking and political information since 2012. * * * * * * who we are * poster * editorial team * projects * contact us ![](\\" ![](\\"/_nuxt/img/member.ffed322.png\\"/) © Political Report 2012 - 2024 Pagella Politica is a newspaper registered with the Court of Milan, n. 55 dated March 8, 2021. ISSN 2974-9387 * Privacy policy * Cookie policy
32 percent of the Italian gross domestic product is made in Italy exports Another 15 percent is tourism min 5919