ABI: 'European household net worth is growing, Italy is third'

In 2024, the net wealth held by European households reached €70.2 trillion, up 4.4% from the previous year. This is according to a study by the Italian Banking Association (ABI) based on the most recent data published by the European Central Bank.

29% of this wealth belongs to German families, 20% to French families, 16% to Italian families, and 13% to Spanish families; the remaining share (22%) is distributed among other countries in the area. Italian families remain among the most financially sound. In Italy, household net wealth is 8 times disposable income, higher than the Eurozone average (7.5 times), the French figures (7.4) and the German figures (7.2), while it is 8.6 times for Spanish families.

Italian household debt remains among the lowest in the euro area. Financial liabilities represent 8.4% of total debt in Italy, compared to 11.3% in the euro area, 9.7% in Germany, 12.8% in France, and 7.9% in Spain.

The composition of household wealth shows that residential property is the largest component. In Italy, the share of residential property, although the majority, is low compared to the European average (43.9% in Italy versus 51.6% in the euro area) and compared to other major countries (52.2% in France, 53.2% in Germany, and 60.6% in Spain), partly due to the sharp increase in property prices in other euro area countries. Deposits in Italy represent 11.2% of total household assets, while in the euro area this share rises to 12.4%. Liquidity in Italy is higher than the European average (1.6% versus the euro area average of 1.1%).

The assets of producer families - including shares in unlisted companies and non-financial assets for productive use - constitute 20.2% of the overall portfolio of Italian families, almost 6 percentage points more than the area average.