In 2021 Italy's technology balance of payments surplus, which includes fees for the use of intellectual property, as well as trade in computer services, research and development (R&D) services, and
architectural and engineering and other technical services (collectively defined as international trade in disembodied technology), reached an all-time high of €2.6 billion, from €1.0 billion in 2020.
The increased surplus reflected the improvement in the balances of all the main components, with
the exception of fees for the use of intellectual property, whose slight deficit widened marginally. Exports grew by around 18 per cent compared with 2020, in line with other types of services, whereas imports increased significantly less than other services (by just under 8 per cent against approximately 22 per cent).
The technology balance of payment surplus is entirely attributable to manufacturing firms, which account for 60 per cent of exports. The share of firms belonging to foreign groups increased further, to 68 per cent for sales and to 75 per cent for purchases of disembodied technology.
While it is one of the most dynamic components of trade in services in Italy, disembodied technology trade, as a share of GDP, remains below the European average and that of the main euro-area countries.
