Italy’s national statistics agency, ISTAT, has introduced a new category in its updated ATECO classification system that includes activities such as escort services and prostitution-related services.
The ATECO code, Italy’s version of the EU’s NACE system, classifies economic activities for statistical, tax, and social security purposes.
Under the new system, code 96.99.92 falls within the section titled “Meeting services and similar events.” This code lists activities linked to social interaction, including escorts, marriage agencies, speed dating services, and the organisation of events involving sexual services or prostitution.
While the updated classification came into effect on 1 January, it only became operational from 1 April, according to Corriere della Sera.
ISTAT stressed that the update mirrors the NACE revision introduced by the European Union in 2023. The EU category also includes “other personal service activities,” which encompass social companionship and the arrangement or provision of sexual services.
Although prostitution is legal in Italy, it remains unregulated. Activities such as running brothels, pimping, or managing third-party prostitution are illegal under Italian law.
ISTAT clarified that while the classification lists both legal and illegal activities, this is to ensure comprehensive data collection and comparability across EU countries, regardless of local laws.
The agency emphasised that in Italy, only legal activities by resident economic operators will be registered under the new codes. For example, in the case of 96.99.92, legal businesses like marriage agencies and speed-dating services fall under this classification.
The updated classification system is part of a broader move to modernise economic data collection and align with EU standards.
