Italy is a global leader in the space economy: in one year, the space sector produced €8 billion, employed around 23,000 people, and added €2 billion, or 0.14% of GDP. This figure places Italy behind the United States but ahead in Europe. This is according to the OECD's space economy report, which examines countries' investments and advancement in the industry. The Italian space industry system includes around 350 companies, ranging from large systems integrators and mid-caps to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as a thriving start-up community. "A strategic, high-value industrial and digital ecosystem, comparable to specialized niches in the aerospace, electronics, telecommunications, software, and advanced engineering sectors", the document asserts. Upstream operations, notably the production of space-related goods and services, account for 67.3% of space's added value. The manufacturing sector accounts for 50.9%, major enterprises 78.2%, and multinational corporations 90.4%, highlighting the sector's industrial concentration and international integration. Italy also ranks seventh in the world in terms of the number of active satellites in orbit, with 53% of them commercially controlled, and sixth in terms of satellite launches since 2019.