Italy has risen to 13th from 16th place in global attractiveness rankings for foreign direct investment, based on an index compiled by consultancy firm A.T. Kearney. Only Sweden has made a bigger jump than Italy, moving up to 15th place from 22nd.

Despite the sluggish growth affecting Italy’s gross domestic product (GDP), in the Top 25 for 2017, the country has achieved an unexpected result: it has overtaken Brazil and the Netherlands in the rankings and is just behind Switzerland, a champion of stability. It is perfectly placed in the middle of the rankings.