Economics
Prostitution, Lawbreaking Slipped as Share of Italy's Economy
- Non-observed economy totaled almost 210 billion euros in 2016
- Illegal activities grew with expenditure for drugs on the rise
This article is for subscribers only.
The value of Italy’s illegal and underground businesses gained slightly to almost 210 billion euros ($243 billion) in 2016, even as it fell as a proportion of total gross domestic product.
Italians spent more on illegal drugs and less on prostitutes in 2016, the most recent year for which data are available, statistics institute Istat said Friday in a report. The so-called non-observed economy shrank as a proportion of gross domestic product to 12.4 percent from 12.6 percent in 2015 as total output grew more quickly.