316,342 visitors (+4.5% compared to 2025)
Against a backdrop of geopolitical instability and shifting demand, the Salone del Mobile.Milano has confirmed the industry’s ability to hold its ground without retreating, seeking out new markets, new business models and new forms of design.
The 2026 edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano notched up 316,342 visitors from 167 different countries, consolidating its position as a global benchmark for the sector. In a year marked by unstable markets and growing international complexity, the Event has stood the test of the present with an offering combining industrial strength, design quality, cultural content and new business opportunities. The percentage of international trade visitors, which stood at 68% – consistent with 2025 – went beyond mere attendance figures: it confirmed the Salone as a concrete internationalisation, networking and business development lever.
Over six days, companies, buyers, investors, retailers, contractors, designers and the international media found the Salone to be a hub for high-value networking and content. With 1,900 brands from 32 countries, the image projected by the 2026 edition of the event was of a responsive and competitive industrial ecosystem. The International Bathroom Exhibition and EuroCucina, together with FTK, Technology For the Kitchen, confirmed the strategic importance of two key sectors in the evolution of contemporary living, encompassing industrial quality, technology and new lifestyles.
The ranking of the top twenty foreign countries by number of attendances of operators underscored the evolving geographical distribution of demand. In absolute terms, China dominated once again. Europe’s resilience was confirmed, with a growing number of trade visitors from Germany (in second place in the top 20, up 5.1% on 2025), Spain (rising to third place, up 8.7%), Austria (in thirteenth place, jumping 15.7%), and Belgium (up 7.3%). Poland grew (in fifth place, +2.1%), stable France in sixth place. Compared to non-European markets, attendance of operators from the United States performs very well (+8.8% compared to 2025) as did that from the United Kingdom (+10.4% compared to 2025). Outside the rankings, visitor numbers from both Canada (+28%) and Mexico (+15%) rose significantly, while there was a strengthening of dynamic regions with new potential, such as Mercosur, (Brasil in fourth place +1.3%), South Korea (in fifteenth place +4.5%).
This growth was underpinned by a year-round programme of initiatives: from Expo Osaka 2025 to the three-year partnership with Art Basel Miami Beach and Hong Kong and B2B missions to India, the United States, Canada and China, to the Salone del Mobile’s first spin-off in Saudi Arabia, through to promotional activities at the leading European hubs, from Paris to London, Berlin and Madrid. This permanent international presence received further recognition as of today with the appointment of the Salone del Mobile.Milano as an Ambassador of Italian Design Worldwide, conferred by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, announced at the opening of the 64th edition of the event.
The appointment forms part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ economic and cultural diplomacy policies and marks the start of a new phase of collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), formalised by the signing of the Framework Agreement with FederlegnoArredo. This alliance aims to consolidate the presence of Italian design in key international markets, leveraging an integrated network of institutions, embassies and Italian Cultural Institutes. Meanwhile, thanks to the support of the ITA – Italian Trade Agency, the presence of industry professionals at the event was boosted once again this year by a delegation of over 200 players of the contract sector from 51 countries.
Alongside the annual and biennial exhibitions, the 2026 edition reinforced its role as a catalyst for new opportunities, transforming content and visions into tools for interpreting markets and design. With Salone Raritas – 28 galleries from 12 countries – the Salone has launched a broader dialogue on the cultural value of design, placing uniqueness, research and experimentation at the centre. The curatorial masterplan for Salone Contract 2027, designed by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten / OMA, has instead shifted the focus onto a segment that goes beyond the logic of the product to engage with complex systems and a global market worth 68 billion euros.
Over 6,039 Press and Media attendances, (2,828 from abroad), broadening the event’s international reach and underscoring the power of an event that continues to shape the global debate on design, industry and the evolution of living. There was also a marked presence of the younger generation: 8,057 Italian students, 6,361 foreign students and 700 designers under 35 from 39 countries at SaloneSatellite confirming the event’s role as a bridge between education, research and industry. Design lovers’ numbers grew reaching 37,431 this year – to whom the Salone dedicated 24 themed itineraries: a guide to help visitors find their way around, inviting them to discover new products and trends.
The Salone del Mobile.Milano is now looking ahead to its 65th edition; from 13th to 18th 2027
