Today is Pasta Day, the symbolic dish of Italy in the world.

Italians are the largest consumers with 23.3 kilos per capita per year, but almost 60% of Italian pasta production ends up on tables all over the world, with exports reaching over 200 countries.

It’s always the right day for a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce, but today even more so because we celebrate World Pasta Day. The event, organized by Unione Italiana Food together with the International Pasta Organisation (IPO), celebrates the symbolic dish of sharing and conviviality every October 25th. For the occasion, a survey (commissioned in recent weeks by the pasta makers of Unione Italiana Food (UIF) from the AstraRicerche Institute) confirms that Italians are proud of their nationality not only for its monuments, art, scenic and natural beauty, and great literary production, but also for being the country of pasta. For eight out of 10 Italians, pasta is the undisputed symbol of Italianness, as well as an ambassador of Made in Italy for almost the entire sample (96.6%). For Italians, therefore, pasta is not only an economic asset, but also a source of national pride, a cultural and identity element that strongly represents the Bel Paese. Pasta is in fact in the Top 5 of the elements that make Italians proud to be so (45%), together with monuments (84.9%), art (75.8%), natural landscapes (73.6%) and literature (69.2%), even more than music (39.6%), opera (34.6%) and sport (27.3%).

It’s no coincidence that for 7 out of 10 Italians (69%) when they say Italy, pasta comes to mind, confirming an unbreakable bond that over the years has become a question of identity, ahead of pizza (64.2%), wine (27.4%), and cured meats and cheeses (18.4%). Despite the uncertain scenario, the global passion for pasta continues. Global production has exceeded 17 million tons, and Italy maintains its global leadership with approximately 4.2 million tons produced in 2024. Italians are the largest consumers, with 23.3 kilos per capita annually, but almost 60% of Italian pasta production ends up on tables around the world, with exports reaching over 200 countries.