The current savings environment in Italy
In 2024, despite geopolitical uncertainties and economic challenges, 59.4% of Italians said they had saved in the last twelve months. This figure marks an increase compared to 53.5% in 2022 and 54.7% in 2023. However, the average share of income saved fell to 11%, down from 12.6% in the previous year. This information emerges from a survey conducted by Intesa Sanpaolo and Centro Einaudi, which analyzed Italians’ financial choices
.
Who saves the most?
Savings are not uniform across different social categories. Graduates, for example, are more likely to save, with a percentage of 79.2%. Entrepreneurs and freelancers also account for 79.9%. The motivations behind this propensity to save vary: 37% of the interviewees save as a precaution, 20% to support their children, and 19% for investments related to the home. In addition, 8.2% save to defend themselves against inflation, an increase compared to 5% in
2023.
Retirement expectations and economic satisfaction
Another interesting aspect concerns pension expectations. Only 34.2% of respondents say they are optimistic about their future retirement, with a clear difference between men (43.9%) and women (24.8%). Despite this, the majority of respondents feel satisfied with their current income, with a percentage of 60.3% expressing this opinion. However, gender differences are obvious: 65.4% of men are satisfied, compared to 54.2%
of women.
Investments and diversification
As far as investments are concerned, portfolio diversification seems to be in decline. Only 30% of savers chose diversified instruments between 2021 and 2024, compared to 40% in 2019. Security remains a priority, with around 65% of investors considering it their first option. The average assets of the Italians interviewed are about 300,000 euros, of which 63% are real estate. However, only 2.2% have purchased a property to be used as a main residence in the last year
.