News / From the associates

The PwC report highlights that the global infrastructure sector is set to enter a phase of strong expansion in the coming decades, with total investments expected to exceed $151 trillion by 2050. Global annual spending will rise from $4.4 trillion in 2024 to approximately $6.9 trillion, driven by the need to modernize transportation networks, energy systems, and digital infrastructure, as well as by the impact of artificial intelligence, urbanization, and electrification. Transportation and energy will continue to account for about half of global investments, while defense will be the fastest-growing sector. The data center sector is also considered one of the most significant: annual investments in this infrastructure are set to more than double by 2027, exceeding $250 billion.

In Italy, the infrastructure market reached $50 billion in 2024, accounting for 7.9% of European spending, with projected growth of 20% by 2050 to $61 billion. However, the country risks losing relative weight both in Europe and globally, partly due to weak economic and demographic growth, high public debt, and fiscal consolidation constraints. Transport infrastructure will be the main area of investment, with $663 billion cumulatively between 2025 and 2050, followed by energy and defense, which together will account for about 70% of national infrastructure spending. In particular, the rail sector will be central to transport development, while in energy infrastructure, renewables and transmission and distribution networks will see the greatest growth, driven by decarbonization targets and rising electricity demand.

The report also highlights how the infrastructure of the future will be increasingly integrated, digitized, and electrified, requiring new models for planning, financing, and managing projects. PwC emphasizes the need to strengthen coordination between energy, digital, industrial, and mobility infrastructure, as well as to promote public-private partnerships and blended finance instruments to attract long-term private capital. On the quality front, Italy shows good results in 5G coverage and the quality of logistics infrastructure, but a gap remains compared to international benchmarks in overall infrastructure spending and the quality of the road network. According to the analysis, to align with countries with the best infrastructure performance, Italy would need to nearly double its current level of investment, increasing spending from 2.2% of GDP in 2024 to levels close to 4.9% of GDP.