ISTAT Water Statistics 2023-2025: The Southern Italy Gap and the Supply Chain's Responses to Accadueo Bari

• 26 Mar 2026

On the occasion of World Water Day, Istat has published its focus on 2023-2025 water statistics, offering an integrated overview of the relationship between territory, population, and economic activities. The data reveals strong territorial differences in resource availability, service delivery, and pressure on the water system.

Italy is the EU country with the highest freshwater abstraction for drinking use

In 2024, 8.87 billion cubic meters of water were withdrawn in Italy for drinking use, the lowest level in the last 25 years and 3.0% less than in 2022. Despite the reduction, Italy has been confirmed for over twenty years as the EU country that withdraws the most freshwater for drinking use, ahead of France and Germany.

In per capita terms, Italy records 150 cubic meters per inhabitant per year and is second in the EU only to Ireland. 84.8% of the national abstraction comes from groundwater. The reduction in withdrawals observed in recent years reflects various factors: critical issues related to the availability of some sources, infrastructural problems and rationing, but also local signs of improved network efficiency, decreased leaks, and more accurate monitoring.

Over one million Italians with rationed water

In 2024, more than one million residents in provincial capitals and metropolitan cities underwent water rationing measures: 5.8% of the population of the capitals, an increase compared to 760,000 in 2023 (+35%). The number of involved Municipalities rose from 14 to 17. The critical issues are concentrated almost entirely in the Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy), with Sicily at the forefront.

In 2025, 2.7 million families – 10.2% of the national total, +1.5 points compared to 2024 – report irregularities in the water supply at home. Of these, more than two-thirds reside in the South. Calabria leads the ranking with 37.3% of families involved, followed by Abruzzo (30.3%) and Sicily (29.5%). The figure for Puglia stands at 8.9%.

On the trust front, the situation is worrying: 3 out of 10 families in Italy (29.9%) do not trust drinking tap water. The percentage reaches 57.6% in Sicily, 52.1% in Sardinia, and 44.6% in Calabria. In Puglia, the share is 26.9%.

Per capita withdrawals: Puglia has the lowest value among the regions

Regional data highlights wide territorial differences. In Puglia, about 101 liters per inhabitant per day are withdrawn, the lowest value among Italian regions, compared to a national average of 411 liters and over 1,700 liters in Molise.

In the Mezzogiorno, interregional water exchanges continue to play a significant role: a significant portion of the withdrawals made in Basilicata and Molise is channeled toward neighboring regions, contributing to the supply of territories characterized by insufficient water availability. In 2024, the largest percentage reduction in withdrawals compared to 2022 was recorded in Molise, Puglia, Abruzzo, and Campania.

In 2024, over 91% of agricultural companies report difficulties related to irrigation. The share rises to 97.5% in the South and 98.8% in the Islands. At the national level, 58.9% of companies reporting irrigation problems are small-sized, a share that rises to 72.2% in the South. Overall, the picture highlights a greater vulnerability of smaller enterprises, particularly accentuated in the Mezzogiorno.

Production and spending in wastewater and water management

In 2023, the production of goods and services for wastewater and water management amounted to 15 billion euros at current prices, an increase of 0.5% compared to 2022, generating a value added of 6.2 billion, equal to 0.3% of Italian GDP.

In 2023, spending on wastewater management services was 13.5 billion euros at current prices. 71% of the expenditure is borne by businesses, 19% by families, and 10% by the Public Administration and the non-profit sector. 21.3% of the expenditure is allocated to investments, mainly carried out by operators of the integrated water service. 95% of the production value concerns goods and services for wastewater purification, while the remaining 5% concerns activities aimed at making water abstraction more efficient, reducing distribution losses, and preserving the stock of water resources.

To translate these data into concrete interventions, Accadueo 2026 brings together the entire supply chain in Bari: from the managers of the Integrated Water Service to technology companies, designers, and the Public Administration.

Accadueo 2026 in Bari: technological innovation and regulatory adjustment for the Southern water sector

Faced with the urgency of rebalancing investments – currently skewed only towards purification – and the need to respond to the distribution network issues described in the Istat report, the adoption of technological solutions aimed at efficiency becomes the only tool capable of guaranteeing the stability of the Integrated Water Service.

The nineteenth edition of Accadueo will take up these themes, proposing itself as a moment of discussion and encounter between utilities, operators, institutions, and technology providers to analyze the situation, presenting critical issues but also successful projects and initiatives, with the aim of identifying possible solutions useful at a national level but with particular regard to the emergency in the Southern regions.

The second edition scheduled in Bari, alternating with Bologna in odd years, specifically targets Central-Southern Italy and the Mediterranean basin countries, to encourage the participation of these operators and the creation of connections with the most representative companies in the sector.

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