Between 2019 and 2025, 523 bars disappeared in Sardinia. Almost all of them were located in towns. Businesses decreased from 6,016 to 5,493, a decrease of 8.7% . This is a significant figure, although less negative than the national average: in the same period in Italy, the number of bars decreased by 14.2%, from 169,839 to 145,766 businesses.
Confesercenti Sardegna is particularly concerned about the geographical distribution of closures. Of the 523 businesses lost on the island, 415 were located in municipalities outside the capital city, equal to almost 80% of the total . In the five capital cities included in the survey, the number of bars decreased from 1,531 to 1,423, a decrease of 7.1%. In other municipalities, the reduction was more pronounced: from 4,485 to 4,070 businesses, equal to a 9.3% decrease.
"The data confirms a phenomenon we've been denouncing for some time: the progressive weakening of the network of local businesses in our regions," emphasizes Gian Battista Piana, regional director of Confesercenti Sardegna . "The closure of a bar in a small town doesn't just mean the loss of an economic activity. It often means the loss of a service, a meeting point, and one of the last remaining social hubs in the area."
The dynamics vary across the provinces. The largest percentage reduction is seen in Southern Sardinia (-11.7%) , followed by Sassari (-10.2%) and Oristano (-9.2%). Nuoro (-5.3%) and Cagliari (-5.4%) experienced greater resilience. In absolute terms, Sassari recorded the greatest loss, with 236 fewer bars, approximately 45% of the entire regional decline. This is followed by Southern Sardinia (-118), Cagliari (-63), Oristano (-56), and Nuoro (-50). Among the provincial capitals, the figure for Oristano stands out in particular, where the number of bars dropped from 160 to 126, a decrease of 21.3%. The decreases were more modest in Cagliari (-6.2%), Sassari (-4.9%), and Nuoro (-3.2%).
The reduction in the number of businesses has consequences that go beyond the simple number of businesses. Using an average annual turnover of 190,000 euros per business, corresponding to the average 2024 ISA declarations for the category, and assuming that 50% of demand is absorbed by the businesses remaining on the market, .
