Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Directorate for National Accounts - Division for supply of goods and services and institutional sectors accounts (CNA)
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Via Depretis, 74/B 00184 Rome Italy
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
29 October 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
29 October 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
29 October 2025
3.1. Data description
Regional accounts represent a territorial specification of the corresponding accounts of the national economy. Regional accounts play an important role in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of regional policies, at both national and European level. In particular, regional indicators derived from the regional accounts are used for assessing regional disparities. In the context of the European Cohesion Policy, regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is an indicator of the Regional accounts by industry, used to allocate funds to eligible regions.
Regional accounts are more limited in scope and detail by national accounts. Regional accounts provide a regional breakdown for major aggregates by industry such as gross value added, compensation of employees, gross fixed capital formation, employment and for household income accounts.
Regional household income accounts show both primary and disposable household income by region, as well as the sources and distribution of income among regions. Regional household income accounts at current prices includes primary incomes formation (gross operating surplus, mixed income, compensation of employees, net property income) and income redistribution (current taxes, social contributions, social benefits, net other current transfers). Data are consistent with Annual Main aggregates and Annual Sector accounts releases.
In details, regional estimates at NUTS level 2 concern the main aggregates related to the supply and use accounts (expressed at current prices, previous year prices and chained linked value - reference Year 2020), the generation of primary income account and data on labour input, both for employees and self-employed, expressed in persons (declared and undeclared) and hours worked. Data from 1995 to year Y-2 are available for 29 industries (A*21 plus a breakdown of industry C). Data for year Y-1 are released with a breakdown of 6 industry. At NUTS level 3 (Provinces) the estimates concern the Gross Domestic Product and gross value added at current prices and employment (expressed in thousands of persons) and are available starting from the year 2000 to year Y-2, with an A* 10 industries breakdown.
3.2. Classification system
The ESA 2010 provides a methodology based on common standards, definitions, internationally harmonised classifications and accounting rules, used for compiling national accounts on a comparable basis.
The ESA 2010 defines classifications to be used. In Italy, for national dissemination of regional accounts classifications used are: NACE Rev. 2 for economic activities, COFOG for final consumption expenditure of General Government by function, COICOP 2018 for households' individual consumption by purpose, and NUTS 2024 for regional breakdowns.
Regional accounts describe the whole economy of a country and comply with the exhaustiveness principle, as they also include the non-observed economy. All units that have their centre of predominant economic interest in the economic territory of the country are covered. All institutional sectors and all industries are represented. Exhaustiveness is required for each of the breakdown items (regions and industry).
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
All statistical concepts and definitions used in compiling Regional Accounts are described in the European System of Accounts, ESA 2010 (Annex A, Chapter 13 of the ESA 2010 Regulation) published by Eurostat in 2013 and in Manual on regional accounts methods - 2013 Edition.
Regional accounts consist of the same set of accounts as national accounts, and highlight territorial differences in economic structure and development.
The NA average annual population for regional accounts for the year t-1, is based on the average of the final census data as at 31 Dec. for year t-2 and year t-1 (available at December of year t). The data sources are the permanent census of population and dwellings and the monthly survey on the movement of the resident population.
3.5. Statistical unit
The units of analysis are the institutional units. Institutional units are economic entities with decision-making autonomy, which can own real and financial assets, assume liabilities, exercise economic activities, intervene in transactions with other units. Due to these characteristics, they generally have a structured accounting system; this obviously does not apply to households, which are considered institutional units by convention.
The institutional units are grouped into institutional sectors according to their main economic functions, behaviour and objectives and are classified by regions (NUTS level 2 and 3).
3.6. Statistical population
The statistical population for national accounts purpose consists of all resident institutional units in a country (see section 3.5).
An institutional unit is resident in a country when it has its centre of predominant economic interest in the economic territory of that country. Such units are considered as resident units, irrespective of nationality, legal form or physical presence in the economic territory at the time they carry out a transaction.
3.7. Reference area
Italy - The whole national territory and regional breakdown at NUTS Level 1 (4 macro-areas for Eurostat and 5 macro-areas for national dissemination), 2 (21 regions plus extra-regio) and 3 (107 provinces).
Italy's territory doesn't include the States of Vatican City and of San Marino, while includes Campione d'Italia, Italian enclave of the Swiss Confederation.
3.8. Coverage - Time
At national level, data at NUTS 2 level are available since 1995 (PYP since 1996) and data at NUTS 3 level since 2000.
Data from 2000 onwards are available in the Eurostat database at both NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 levels.
3.9. Base period
Italy currently uses 2020 as reference year for the compilation of chain-linked volumes.
Flows are calculated in million euros at current prices, previous year's prices and chain-linked volumes. Furthermore, it is possible to derive growth rates and indices. Other measures (e.g. percentages, per capita data, data expressed in purchasing power standards) can be applied as well.
Population and labour input variables are expressed in thousands. In Italy, labour input is measured in terms of number of persons, hours worked, jobs and full-time equivalent units.
The reference period used for presenting regional accounts data is the calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
National accounts are compiled in accordance with the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010) which was published in the Official Journal as Annex A of Regulation (EU) No 549/2013, amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2023/734 of 15 March 2023.
The European System of Accounts (ESA 2010) transmission programme is covered in Annex B of the Council Regulation (EU) No 549/2013, amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2023/734 of 15 March 2023.
National accounts data are key datasets used and published by many international organisations to improve data consistency and exploit synergies for data collection and validation. The Legislative Decree no. 322 of 6 September 1989 contains provisions on data sharing and coordination within SISTAN: according to the article no. 6 the statistical offices, under the coordination of Istat, shall cooperate with other authorities for the execution of the surveys provided for in the National Statistical Programme.
Directives issued by COMSTAT have further strengthened these provisions. In addition, Istat has developed statistical information systems utilized throughout SISTAN to facilitate data sharing. Istat also cooperates closely with agencies outside SISTAN through specific data sharing protocols and agreements. According to the Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 and to the DPR no. 166 of 7 September 2010, Istat is part of the European Statistical System and coordinates and shares data with the European Commission (Eurostat) and the others national statistical institutes and other national authorities responsible in each Member State for the development, production and dissemination of European Statistics.
Italian data are shared also with some national institutions (i.g. Central Bank of Italy, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Labour).
Several national legal acts ensure the confidentiality of data collected for statistical purposes. In Italy, according to art. 9, paragraph 1 of the Legislative Decree n. 322 of 1989, statistical data may only be disseminated in aggregated form, ensuring that no information allows the identification of individual persons ore entities. The data may be used exclusively for statistical purposes.
Official statistics must also safeguard the rights, basic freedoms, and dignity of respondents, with regard to the right to confidentiality and personal identity. Istat assures the protection of personal data according to the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC), and the Italian Data Protection Code (Legislative Decree no. 196/2003), as well as the Code of conduct and professional practice applying to the processing of personal data for statistical and scientific research purposes within the framework of the National Statistical System.
In order to make statistical secrecy and protection of personal data effective, Istat is currently taking appropriate organizational, logistical, methodological and statistical measures in accordance with internationally established standards.
Moreover, Legislative Decree n. 322 of 1989, art. 6 and 6 bis provides that the exchange of personal data within the SISTAN is possible if it is necessary to fulfil requirements provided by the National Statistical Programme or to allow the pursuit of institutional purposes.
Finally, in implementation of art. 5-ter of the legislative decree 14 March 2013, no. 33, the new "Guidelines for the access for scientific purposes to the elementary data of the National Statistical System" establish the conditions under which the bodies and offices of the National Statistical System can allow researchers to access their own elementary data for scientific purposes.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Territorial accounts aggregates are disseminated at a level of detail that does not imply confidentiality issues.
8.1. Release calendar
In December of each year, Istat releases a calendar announcing the publication dates for the following year’s press releases. The calendar is distributed to the press and offered free of charge.
According to its mission, Istat disseminates statistical information in order to make it accessible and usable for everyone, removing any barriers to data use. All data releases are posted on the Istat website according to a fixed annual release calendar, published by the previous December. Time series are available on the IstatData warehouse, where users can choose information according to their needs, building customized tables or download prepackaged datasets. Meta-information - methodologies, classifications and definitions - always accompanies the data. Books, press releases, datasets and infographics are also available on Istat web site; moreover, main contents are disseminated through the Istat Official X account and other social media networks. All Istat information is available free of charge and the data are reusable providing the source.
Regional data are disseminated in December each year.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
All Italian National Accounts press and news releases can be downloaded. For Regional Accounts two press releases are published each year Stima preliminare del PIL e dell’occupazione a livello territoriale/Preliminary estimate of GDP and employment at regional level (usually released in June only in Italian, it is a preliminary estimate for year y-1 of GDP and employment at NUTS level 1) and Conti economici territoriali/Regional accounts (usually released in December, in Italian and in English, where the result of the complete estimate for NUTS at level 2 and 3 and also of Regional disposable income of Households are provided).
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
All Istat general publications, presenting analyses and data on the state of the country observed from multiple points of view, include National Accounts data: Rapporto Annuale (published in May - Annual Report), Noi Italia (generally published in January - Noi Italia), Annuario Statistico italiano (published in November - only in Italian), Italia in Cifre (published in February - Italy in figures).
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
The complete set of series is issued, at the same time of the press release, through the data warehouse IstatData in the domain Regional Accounts. A selection of Regional series is available in Territorial statistics for development policies.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available
10.5. Dissemination format - other
In addition to news releases and other publications (see sections 10.1 and 10.2), information on regional economics accounts and on regional household income accounts may be posted using social media.
All press releases have a part dedicated to methodology (in Italian language only).
10.7. Quality management - documentation
The quality (accuracy/consistency) checks carried out by Eurostat on the received country data are described in a validation handbook. From 2017 onwards also annual quality reports are available. They describe several dimensions of the quality of countries' national accounts data transmissions.
Istat Information system on quality of statistical production processes SIQual contains information on the execution on Istat statistical production processes and on activities developed to guarantee quality of the produced statistical information. For Details:
National quality report for Italy (including Regional accounts) has been compiled and submitted to Eurostat from 2016.
11.1. Quality assurance
Since the 1990s, Istat adopted a systematic approach to ensuring quality in both statistical information and service to the community. For this purpose, the Italian National Institute of Statistics has defined a quality policy supported by appropriate tools as well as management changes to carry it out.
Istat quality policy is aimed at the improvement of statistical outputs and processes through the development of appropriate methodologies and tools as well as an appropriate scientific and technical support, provided to the personnel directly involved in the production and dissemination of statistical information.
Istat quality policy is consistent with the European framework developed by Eurostat, taking up its main principles and definitions stated in the European Statistics Code of Practice and useful to ensure and strengthen the accountability and governance of the European Statistical System and of the National Statistical Systems.
Regional economic accounts data provide relevant information for economic policy monitoring and decision making, forecasting, administrative purposes, informing the general public about economic developments (directly or indirectly via news agencies), and as input for economic research.
Ministry of Finance and other economic institutions, regional agencies, scientific and academic communities, researchers in the economic field are usually the main stakeholders of national and regional accounts data.
International Organizations (IMF, OECD, ILO, WB, BCE) and EU Institutions use regional economic accounts data too.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Information on the user satisfaction of the regional accounts are not collected but Istat carries out general user satisfaction surveys.
Istat is constantly interested to understanding who uses the statistics it produces, what their information needs are, whether these needs match the production and whether the statistics produced satisfy the users. To this aim, together with the analysis of user requests received through the Web Contact Center service, tools for direct consultation were developed, such as the annual online survey of customer satisfaction and indirect tools such as analysis of accesses and of users' browsing paths on the web site.
12.3. Completeness
The overall completeness of the Italian Regional economic accounts and of the Regional household income accounts, as required by the ESA 2010 Transmission Programme, is at high level.
Completeness rate is calculated by Eurostat (Quality report).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Accuracy is defined as the gap between the published estimate and the true value of a variable. Measuring accuracy in National Accounts (NA) is complex, as numerous data sources interact within a sophisticated compilation process. The structure of the NA compilation process starts with the integration of various data sources. Then, the process includes a series of adjustments to the basic data to make them consistent with each other and bring them in line with the National Accounts concepts and methods. See also 17.2 Data revision - practice.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
Regional accounts estimates result from a complex compilation process involving both standardized and non-standardized checks. During the calculation process, quality checks of data are performed constantly, which means that many potential errors are detected and corrected.
The quality actions for monitoring the sources of processing errors (data entry, coding, editing and imputation) are:
The first release of regional accounts takes place twelve months after the end of the reference year (generally in December) but a preliminary release of some aggregates at NUTS level 1 is nationally available in June
14.2. Punctuality
Istat generally transmits regional accounts tables to Eurostat in line with the ESA 2010 TP deadline.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
As the data are compiled according to the ESA 2010 requirements, Italian regional accounts data are fully harmonised and comparable at the European level.
15.2. Comparability - over time
One of the characteristics of national as regional accounts is that any fundamental changes to methods or classifications produce revisions of long time series that are performed going far back into the past.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Regional data are broadly coherent with the September release of national accounts figures.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Regional data are coherent across the NUTS0, NUTS1, NUTS2 and NUTS3 levels and NACE sections.
Not available
17.1. Data revision - policy
Istat implements the recommendations included in the Harmonised European Revision Policy (HERP).
The regional accounts are generally disseminated by the end of December, when the time-series are updated with the final data for the year Y-3 and the provisional data for the years Y-2 and Y-1 (Y-2 for NUTS 3).
In June, a preliminary estimate of GDP and employment at NUTS level 1 is also released for the year Y-1.
If it is deemed necessary to revise some aggregates outside of the scheduled timetable, following the correction of errors and/or inconsistencies, the new estimates are treated as non-scheduled revisions, and the revised time-series are re-published in the data warehouse IstatData. Users are duly informed through the institutional website.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Note that all releases of Regional accounts are archived and made available to users in the IstatData database (through the use of the edition field) and it is therefore possible to compare different vintages and check revisions at any time.
18.1. Source data
Regional processes use both internal and external data sources. The data sources are:
For Regional economic accounts (NUTS level 2 and 3):
Istat - Household consumption survey
Istat - General Census of Agriculture
Istat - Movement of customers in hospitality establishments
Istat - Survey on the structure and production of farms
Istat - Information system on economic results of enterprises (Frame-SBS)
Istat - Labour force survey
Istat - Statistical register of enterprises' employment (ASIA - Employment)
Istat -Statistical register of local economic units (ASIA - Local units)
Istat - Statistical Register on Wages, Hours and Individual Labour Costs of local economic units (RACLI – Local units)
Istat - Economic accounts and aggregates of Public administrations
Irepa - Institute for economic research in fishery and aquaculture
Inps - Archive of domestic workers, Archive of agricultural employees, Archive of quasi-subordinate workers, E-Mens Archive.
Istat - Statistics on social security and welfare - Pensions
Istat - Information system on economic results of enterprises (Frame-SBS)
Istat Statistical register of local economic units (ASIA - Local units)
Ivass Written gross non-life insurance premiums form the Annual report of Ivass (Italian insurance regulatory agency)
Bank of Italy - Deposits, Loans, Interest on deposits and loans, households wealth
Ministry of Economy and Finance, Department of the Treasury IRPEF, Regional additional Irpef State, IMU.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Regional accounts are usually compiled on an annual, quarterly and monthly basis from primary statistics. The frequency of data collection of primary statistics varies according to the nature of the data source.
The frequency and timing of the compilation are not necessary aligned with the frequency and timing of (all) primary statistics data collections.
18.3. Data collection
The data used for the compilation of regional accounts come from other Istat Directorates and from other external organisations or Institutions. The main interchange of data flows with external bodies and Institutions is regulated by negotiating Acts (framework agreements, conventions, research protocols and agreements) established with Istat or directly with the National Accounts Directorate. The Acts typically set up annexes or protocols defining activities to be performed, regulating data provision obligations and data quality standards; data transmission procedures and timing are defined.
Concerning the information and data flows internal to Istat, Service Level Agreements (SLA) regulate relations between the statistical production structures and directions that provide services (data capturing, methodological assistance, IT services, dissemination and communication).
Currently, the data flows requested by the Directorate of National Accounts to other Directorates are governed by a standardized procedure that defines technical details and timing of data delivery and identify persons authorized to statistical treatment. In particular, as regards administrative data, the programming of the provision of files and archives from the Institutions gathering them for administrative purposes is defined through Istat Three-year Plan of Administrative Data. Medium term planning is then implemented setting a yearly programme that defines the specific details and calendar of data delivery.
18.4. Data validation
Data are validated to the following actions:
Assessment of adequacy of estimates compared to definitions (exhaustiveness of estimates);
Time-series analysis of indicators and checks ratios;
Cross-checks with independent data sources;
Analysis of available time series for consistency over time.
18.5. Data compilation
For the calculation of regional GDP, taxes on products are allocated according to regional value added. As regards subsidies on products:
regional subsidies from the GSE are estimated on the basis of regional photovoltaic production;
transport-related subsidies are allocated across region in proportion to regional value added in the transport sector;
all other product subsidies are allocated by region based on total regional value added.
Estimates of value added and employee compensation of producers of goods and services for the market for the final year (t-3) and the semi-final year (t-2) are based on final Frame SBS data. In order to obtain estimates for Local Economic Activity Units (LEAU), this information system has been integrated with the Register of Local Business Units (Asia LU) and the Annual Register of Labour Costs in Local Units. This makes it possible to obtain, for each LAEU, an estimate of the value added and labour costs consistent with the relative labour input, favouring a bottom-up approach that assigns the local unit a weight calculated in terms of total remuneration. For the mining sector, the weighting of local units considers a production indicator observed at the production site level: this procedure allows for a precise estimate of local production of mineral oil and gas on land and on platforms (extra-regional share). For agriculture, the estimate of value added is based on actual local agricultural production and the methodology is based on the aggregation of “quantity by price” estimates for a large number of products (approximately 170). The regional estimate of the value added of public administrations is made on the basis of the residence of the unit that performs the activity.
The estimate of final household consumption expenditure is the result of processing and integrating various sources, such as the Istat survey on household expenditure, statistics on customer movements in accommodation establishments, and data on vehicle registrations from UNRAE. For consistency with the approach used in estimating the national accounts, the regional accounts refer to household expenditure on goods or services in the relevant economic territory, i.e. regional domestic consumption.
Final consumption expenditure by public administrations is attributed to the region where the service is consumed. For administrations whose jurisdiction is limited to part of the territory (local administrations), consumption generally takes place where the service is produced. The territorial breakdown of expenditure is carried out by aggregating the basic data collected at the territorial level. For administrations with supra-regional jurisdiction, the consumption of a service may take place in a region other than the one in which it was produced. In this case, the regional breakdown of final consumption expenditure requires indicators to identify the region in which consumption takes place. The indicator used is the resident population. The population is used not only for collective services, but also for individual services (e.g. healthcare), for which the expenditure incurred relates to the operation, administration and regulation of the service itself. For education services, which are centralised and managed by the Ministry of Education, the indicator chosen is the regional distribution of pupils enrolled in public schools.
The regional estimate of gross fixed capital formation is also based mainly on Frame-SBS data, supplemented by specific indicators from administrative sources.
Regional estimates of household disposable income are calculated in line with the regional economic accounts for labour input, value added and employee income. While production units are attributed to the region in which the local business unit is located (this applies to producer households and, more generally, to production units that generate the flows analysed in the regional economic accounts), for households, the centre of economic interest coincides with the region in which the consumer units resides (this means that household disposable income is calculated according to the household's place of residence, while the consumption expenditure that appears in the regional economic accounts is that incurred in the region where the products are purchased). The logic underlying the construction of regional accounts for households is, therefore, to attribute to the region of residence the economic effects of all the operations carried out by the units residing there, even outside that territory. To this end, it is necessary to highlight the economic flows between the different territorial areas, which are treated as external transactions, similar to those of a nation state with the rest of the world.
The estimates of the territorial accounts include components of the non-observed economy (NOE), which refers to economic activities that cannot be directly observed and mainly includes the underground and illegal economy. In the territorial estimates, the estimate of the underground activity component linked to the underreporting of value added, available for statistical units, was reported at the local unit level using the weights defined above. The estimate of the un-registered work component at the local level is based on the estimate of un-registered jobs by stratum (industry, provinces and employee class), to which appropriate per capita remuneration values calculated for un-registered employees and gross operating profit by stratum of regular components are applied. For the regional and provincial estimate of the added value attributed to illegal activities, indicators based on the number of reports for crimes related to the exploitation and facilitation of prostitution, drug regulations and smuggling are used.
The estimate of territorial labour input is based on the same methodological guidelines and information sources used for similar estimates at national level. The latter are based on the integration, at microdata level, of administrative archives containing data on work activity and the very rich and detailed information collected through the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The approach makes it possible, on the one hand, to measure and statistically correct certain possible distortions associated with the various sources on the measurement of employment (e.g. under-coverage and over-coverage phenomena due to different methods of collecting and processing information) and, on the other hand, to identify the boundary between regular and un-registered work more reliably. For territorial estimates relating to regular employment in enterprises, information from the Statistical Archive on Individual Local Units of Active Enterprises (ASIA UL) are also used, improving the accuracy of estimates at the local unit level. These information enable to compare, correct and validate regional information on the employment of multi-location production units. For regular employment in sectors not covered by ASIA (essentially agriculture, credit and insurance, and domestic services), and for non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH), a micro-level approach was adopted, which made it possible to estimate both labour input and related income.
Regarding irregular employment, identified by the LF survey and for which there is no corresponding form of contribution or tax compliance recorded at individual level in the administrative sources, the estimate at provincial level is based essentially on the territorial information identified by the LF survey.
Specific components are estimated on the basis of other sources, such as residence permits, applications for regularisation of irregular employment relationships of non-EU foreigners and the Multiscopo survey of households on aspects of daily life related to the use of domestic staff.
Regional Accounts (NUTS level 2 and 3) estimate’s phases:
Analysis of the adequacy of sources
Data processing for definition reconciliation
Data processing for classification reconciliation
Drafting tables and graph for Istat publications
Provisional estimate release
Elaborating time-series
Revising of time-series
Elaborating intermediate economic aggregates
Elaborating final economic aggregates (to be published)
Maps production for dissemination
Setting up final macrodata files for Eurostat
Setting up final macrodata files for national dissemination
Regional disposable income of Households estimate’s phases::
Processing macrodata undergoing a revision policy
Data processing for definition reconciliation
Data processing for classification reconciliation
Microdata assembling to reconstruct the set of observations
Drafting tables and graph for Istat publications
Data smoothing or interpolation (regressions, moving averages, ...) by statistical techniques
Elaborating time-series
Revising of time series
Elaborating indicators
Elaborating intermediate economic aggregates
Elaborating final economic aggregates (to be published)
Setting up final macrodata files for Eurostat
Setting up final macrodata files for national dissemination
18.6. Adjustment
The compilation process of national accounts involves a series of adjustments to the basic data to make them consistent with each other and bring them in line with ESA 2010 concepts and methods. All types of production activities are covered in the national and regional accounts, including those that are non-observed (i.e. underground, illegal and informal activities, household production for own final use, or missing activities due to deficiencies in the basic data collection system).
The method used in Italy to estimate territorial aggregates follows a bottom-up approach: as a result, regional data are generally consistent with national totals. When there are discrepancies between the sum of regional value and national data, these are addressed by allocating the discrepancy across regions according to each region's share of total value added.
No comments.
Regional accounts represent a territorial specification of the corresponding accounts of the national economy. Regional accounts play an important role in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of regional policies, at both national and European level. In particular, regional indicators derived from the regional accounts are used for assessing regional disparities. In the context of the European Cohesion Policy, regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is an indicator of the Regional accounts by industry, used to allocate funds to eligible regions.
Regional accounts are more limited in scope and detail by national accounts. Regional accounts provide a regional breakdown for major aggregates by industry such as gross value added, compensation of employees, gross fixed capital formation, employment and for household income accounts.
Regional household income accounts show both primary and disposable household income by region, as well as the sources and distribution of income among regions. Regional household income accounts at current prices includes primary incomes formation (gross operating surplus, mixed income, compensation of employees, net property income) and income redistribution (current taxes, social contributions, social benefits, net other current transfers). Data are consistent with Annual Main aggregates and Annual Sector accounts releases.
In details, regional estimates at NUTS level 2 concern the main aggregates related to the supply and use accounts (expressed at current prices, previous year prices and chained linked value - reference Year 2020), the generation of primary income account and data on labour input, both for employees and self-employed, expressed in persons (declared and undeclared) and hours worked. Data from 1995 to year Y-2 are available for 29 industries (A*21 plus a breakdown of industry C). Data for year Y-1 are released with a breakdown of 6 industry. At NUTS level 3 (Provinces) the estimates concern the Gross Domestic Product and gross value added at current prices and employment (expressed in thousands of persons) and are available starting from the year 2000 to year Y-2, with an A* 10 industries breakdown.
29 October 2025
All statistical concepts and definitions used in compiling Regional Accounts are described in the European System of Accounts, ESA 2010 (Annex A, Chapter 13 of the ESA 2010 Regulation) published by Eurostat in 2013 and in Manual on regional accounts methods - 2013 Edition.
Regional accounts consist of the same set of accounts as national accounts, and highlight territorial differences in economic structure and development.
The NA average annual population for regional accounts for the year t-1, is based on the average of the final census data as at 31 Dec. for year t-2 and year t-1 (available at December of year t). The data sources are the permanent census of population and dwellings and the monthly survey on the movement of the resident population.
The units of analysis are the institutional units. Institutional units are economic entities with decision-making autonomy, which can own real and financial assets, assume liabilities, exercise economic activities, intervene in transactions with other units. Due to these characteristics, they generally have a structured accounting system; this obviously does not apply to households, which are considered institutional units by convention.
The institutional units are grouped into institutional sectors according to their main economic functions, behaviour and objectives and are classified by regions (NUTS level 2 and 3).
The statistical population for national accounts purpose consists of all resident institutional units in a country (see section 3.5).
An institutional unit is resident in a country when it has its centre of predominant economic interest in the economic territory of that country. Such units are considered as resident units, irrespective of nationality, legal form or physical presence in the economic territory at the time they carry out a transaction.
Italy - The whole national territory and regional breakdown at NUTS Level 1 (4 macro-areas for Eurostat and 5 macro-areas for national dissemination), 2 (21 regions plus extra-regio) and 3 (107 provinces).
Italy's territory doesn't include the States of Vatican City and of San Marino, while includes Campione d'Italia, Italian enclave of the Swiss Confederation.
The reference period used for presenting regional accounts data is the calendar year.
Accuracy is defined as the gap between the published estimate and the true value of a variable. Measuring accuracy in National Accounts (NA) is complex, as numerous data sources interact within a sophisticated compilation process. The structure of the NA compilation process starts with the integration of various data sources. Then, the process includes a series of adjustments to the basic data to make them consistent with each other and bring them in line with the National Accounts concepts and methods. See also 17.2 Data revision - practice.
Flows are calculated in million euros at current prices, previous year's prices and chain-linked volumes. Furthermore, it is possible to derive growth rates and indices. Other measures (e.g. percentages, per capita data, data expressed in purchasing power standards) can be applied as well.
Population and labour input variables are expressed in thousands. In Italy, labour input is measured in terms of number of persons, hours worked, jobs and full-time equivalent units.
For the calculation of regional GDP, taxes on products are allocated according to regional value added. As regards subsidies on products:
regional subsidies from the GSE are estimated on the basis of regional photovoltaic production;
transport-related subsidies are allocated across region in proportion to regional value added in the transport sector;
all other product subsidies are allocated by region based on total regional value added.
Estimates of value added and employee compensation of producers of goods and services for the market for the final year (t-3) and the semi-final year (t-2) are based on final Frame SBS data. In order to obtain estimates for Local Economic Activity Units (LEAU), this information system has been integrated with the Register of Local Business Units (Asia LU) and the Annual Register of Labour Costs in Local Units. This makes it possible to obtain, for each LAEU, an estimate of the value added and labour costs consistent with the relative labour input, favouring a bottom-up approach that assigns the local unit a weight calculated in terms of total remuneration. For the mining sector, the weighting of local units considers a production indicator observed at the production site level: this procedure allows for a precise estimate of local production of mineral oil and gas on land and on platforms (extra-regional share). For agriculture, the estimate of value added is based on actual local agricultural production and the methodology is based on the aggregation of “quantity by price” estimates for a large number of products (approximately 170). The regional estimate of the value added of public administrations is made on the basis of the residence of the unit that performs the activity.
The estimate of final household consumption expenditure is the result of processing and integrating various sources, such as the Istat survey on household expenditure, statistics on customer movements in accommodation establishments, and data on vehicle registrations from UNRAE. For consistency with the approach used in estimating the national accounts, the regional accounts refer to household expenditure on goods or services in the relevant economic territory, i.e. regional domestic consumption.
Final consumption expenditure by public administrations is attributed to the region where the service is consumed. For administrations whose jurisdiction is limited to part of the territory (local administrations), consumption generally takes place where the service is produced. The territorial breakdown of expenditure is carried out by aggregating the basic data collected at the territorial level. For administrations with supra-regional jurisdiction, the consumption of a service may take place in a region other than the one in which it was produced. In this case, the regional breakdown of final consumption expenditure requires indicators to identify the region in which consumption takes place. The indicator used is the resident population. The population is used not only for collective services, but also for individual services (e.g. healthcare), for which the expenditure incurred relates to the operation, administration and regulation of the service itself. For education services, which are centralised and managed by the Ministry of Education, the indicator chosen is the regional distribution of pupils enrolled in public schools.
The regional estimate of gross fixed capital formation is also based mainly on Frame-SBS data, supplemented by specific indicators from administrative sources.
Regional estimates of household disposable income are calculated in line with the regional economic accounts for labour input, value added and employee income. While production units are attributed to the region in which the local business unit is located (this applies to producer households and, more generally, to production units that generate the flows analysed in the regional economic accounts), for households, the centre of economic interest coincides with the region in which the consumer units resides (this means that household disposable income is calculated according to the household's place of residence, while the consumption expenditure that appears in the regional economic accounts is that incurred in the region where the products are purchased). The logic underlying the construction of regional accounts for households is, therefore, to attribute to the region of residence the economic effects of all the operations carried out by the units residing there, even outside that territory. To this end, it is necessary to highlight the economic flows between the different territorial areas, which are treated as external transactions, similar to those of a nation state with the rest of the world.
The estimates of the territorial accounts include components of the non-observed economy (NOE), which refers to economic activities that cannot be directly observed and mainly includes the underground and illegal economy. In the territorial estimates, the estimate of the underground activity component linked to the underreporting of value added, available for statistical units, was reported at the local unit level using the weights defined above. The estimate of the un-registered work component at the local level is based on the estimate of un-registered jobs by stratum (industry, provinces and employee class), to which appropriate per capita remuneration values calculated for un-registered employees and gross operating profit by stratum of regular components are applied. For the regional and provincial estimate of the added value attributed to illegal activities, indicators based on the number of reports for crimes related to the exploitation and facilitation of prostitution, drug regulations and smuggling are used.
The estimate of territorial labour input is based on the same methodological guidelines and information sources used for similar estimates at national level. The latter are based on the integration, at microdata level, of administrative archives containing data on work activity and the very rich and detailed information collected through the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The approach makes it possible, on the one hand, to measure and statistically correct certain possible distortions associated with the various sources on the measurement of employment (e.g. under-coverage and over-coverage phenomena due to different methods of collecting and processing information) and, on the other hand, to identify the boundary between regular and un-registered work more reliably. For territorial estimates relating to regular employment in enterprises, information from the Statistical Archive on Individual Local Units of Active Enterprises (ASIA UL) are also used, improving the accuracy of estimates at the local unit level. These information enable to compare, correct and validate regional information on the employment of multi-location production units. For regular employment in sectors not covered by ASIA (essentially agriculture, credit and insurance, and domestic services), and for non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH), a micro-level approach was adopted, which made it possible to estimate both labour input and related income.
Regarding irregular employment, identified by the LF survey and for which there is no corresponding form of contribution or tax compliance recorded at individual level in the administrative sources, the estimate at provincial level is based essentially on the territorial information identified by the LF survey.
Specific components are estimated on the basis of other sources, such as residence permits, applications for regularisation of irregular employment relationships of non-EU foreigners and the Multiscopo survey of households on aspects of daily life related to the use of domestic staff.
Regional Accounts (NUTS level 2 and 3) estimate’s phases:
Analysis of the adequacy of sources
Data processing for definition reconciliation
Data processing for classification reconciliation
Drafting tables and graph for Istat publications
Provisional estimate release
Elaborating time-series
Revising of time-series
Elaborating intermediate economic aggregates
Elaborating final economic aggregates (to be published)
Maps production for dissemination
Setting up final macrodata files for Eurostat
Setting up final macrodata files for national dissemination
Regional disposable income of Households estimate’s phases::
Processing macrodata undergoing a revision policy
Data processing for definition reconciliation
Data processing for classification reconciliation
Microdata assembling to reconstruct the set of observations
Drafting tables and graph for Istat publications
Data smoothing or interpolation (regressions, moving averages, ...) by statistical techniques
Elaborating time-series
Revising of time series
Elaborating indicators
Elaborating intermediate economic aggregates
Elaborating final economic aggregates (to be published)
Setting up final macrodata files for Eurostat
Setting up final macrodata files for national dissemination
Regional processes use both internal and external data sources. The data sources are:
For Regional economic accounts (NUTS level 2 and 3):
Istat - Household consumption survey
Istat - General Census of Agriculture
Istat - Movement of customers in hospitality establishments
Istat - Survey on the structure and production of farms
Istat - Information system on economic results of enterprises (Frame-SBS)
Istat - Labour force survey
Istat - Statistical register of enterprises' employment (ASIA - Employment)
Istat -Statistical register of local economic units (ASIA - Local units)
Istat - Statistical Register on Wages, Hours and Individual Labour Costs of local economic units (RACLI – Local units)
Istat - Economic accounts and aggregates of Public administrations
Irepa - Institute for economic research in fishery and aquaculture
Inps - Archive of domestic workers, Archive of agricultural employees, Archive of quasi-subordinate workers, E-Mens Archive.
The first release of regional accounts takes place twelve months after the end of the reference year (generally in December) but a preliminary release of some aggregates at NUTS level 1 is nationally available in June
As the data are compiled according to the ESA 2010 requirements, Italian regional accounts data are fully harmonised and comparable at the European level.
One of the characteristics of national as regional accounts is that any fundamental changes to methods or classifications produce revisions of long time series that are performed going far back into the past.
