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The economy of Italy is a highly developed social market economy. It is the third-largest national economy in the European Union, the 8th-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and the 11th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP. The country has the second-largest manufacturing industry in Europe, which is also the 7th-largest in the world. Italy has a diversified economy which is dominated by the tertiary service sector. The country is a great power, and is a founding member of the European Union, the eurozone, the Schengen Area, the OECD, the G7 and the G20; it is the eighth-largest exporter in the world, with $611 billion exported in 2021. Its closest trade ties are with the other countries of the European Union, with whom it conducts about 59% of its total trade. Its largest trading partners are Germany (12.5%) and France (10.3%), followed by the United States (9%), Spain (5.2%), the United Kingdom (5.2%) and Switzerland (4.6%).
In the post-World War II period, Italy saw a transformation from an agricultural-based economy which had been severely affected by the consequences of the World Wars, into one of the world's most advanced nations, and a leading country in world trade and exports. According to the Human Development Index, the country enjoys a very high standard of living. According to The Economist, Italy has the world's 8th highest quality of life. Italy owns the world's third-largest gold reserve, and is the third-largest net contributor to the budget of the European Union. Furthermore, the advanced country private wealth is one of the largest in the world. In terms of private wealth, Italy ranks second, after Hong Kong, in private wealth to GDP ratio. Among OECD members, Italy has a highly efficient and strong social security system, which comprises roughly 24.4% of GDP. (Full article...)