# Parmigiano Reggiano: 4.19 million wheels a year

> Italy made 4.19 million wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano in 2025, about 168,000 metric tons, worth 3.96 billion euro. Grana Padano made 6,053,690 wheels.

URL: https://myitalia.it/food/parmigiano-reggiano
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Italy produced 4.19 million wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP in 2025, up 2.7% on 2024 and worth about 168,000 metric tons, and the denomination has been in the EU register since June 21, 1996.

## The 2025 numbers, province by province

Production reached 4.19 million wheels in 2025, 2.7% more than in 2024, equivalent to about 168,000 metric tons of cheese. The consortium publishes the split by province, and it is the fastest way to understand the geography of the product.

| Province | Wheels 2025 |
|---|---:|
| Parma | 1,391,000 |
| Reggio Emilia | 1,242,000 |
| Modena | 918,000 |
| Mantua | 524,000 |
| Bologna | 115,000 |

Those five provinces are the whole zone. Four are in Emilia-Romagna and one, Mantua, is in Lombardy, on the right bank of the Po, which is the detail that ruins the tidy line about a cheese from one region.

## The money, and the export share

Parmigiano Reggiano turned over 3.96 billion euro at consumer prices in 2025, and exports accounted for 50.5% of sales, or 74,980 metric tons. More than half the wheels leave Italy.

That turnover makes it the Italian food denomination with the largest business, ahead of the other two names its own region is known for: Prosciutto di Parma DOP, registered in the same year, and Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP, registered in 2009.

One caveat on the figures. They come from the consortium that protects the denomination, which is a primary source with an obvious interest, and we found no independent confirmation to sit beside them.

## Grana Padano is the bigger cheese by volume

Grana Padano DOP reached 6,053,690 wheels in 2025, up 7.4%, about 236,180 metric tons: it is the Italian cheese denomination with the largest volume, well above Parmigiano Reggiano's 4.19 million wheels.

It also exports heavily: about 2.76 million wheels in 2025, roughly 45% of production, a lower share than Parmigiano Reggiano's 50.5% but a larger absolute quantity.

What we cannot give you is the comparison people actually want, which is turnover against turnover. No primary source for Grana Padano's consumer value was available, so the claim that Parmigiano Reggiano leads on money and Grana Padano on volume rests on a firm figure for one and a gap for the other.

## What this means at the counter

Two hard cheeses, two rulebooks, two zones, two prices. The name pinned into the rind is the denomination, and it is the part that carries a legal zone behind it.

The practical test in a shop is the zone. If the cheese is Parmigiano Reggiano it came from one of those five provinces, and 3,551,000 of the 4.19 million wheels came from just Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena. If it came from anywhere else, whatever it says on the label, it is a different cheese.

For how the protected name system works across Italian food and wine, see [DOP and IGP](/themes/dop-igp).

## FAQ

### How much Parmigiano Reggiano is made each year?

4.19 million wheels in 2025, up 2.7% on 2024, or about 168,000 metric tons. Parma made 1,391,000 of them, Reggio Emilia 1,242,000, Modena 918,000, Mantua 524,000 and Bologna 115,000.

### Is Grana Padano the same as Parmigiano Reggiano?

No, and it is the larger of the two by volume: 6,053,690 wheels in 2025 against 4.19 million, up 7.4%, about 236,180 metric tons. They are separate protected denominations with separate zones, separate rules and separate consortia.

### Where is Parmigiano Reggiano made?

In five provinces, and one of them is not in Emilia-Romagna. Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna are, but Mantua is in Lombardy, on the right bank of the Po, and it produced 524,000 wheels in 2025.

### How much Parmigiano Reggiano is exported?

50.5% of sales in 2025, which is 74,980 metric tons, against a total consumer turnover of 3.96 billion euro. Grana Padano exported about 2.76 million wheels in the same year, roughly 45% of its production.

### When was Parmigiano Reggiano registered as a DOP?

June 21, 1996, in the EU register. It is the Italian food DOP with the largest turnover, at 3.96 billion euro at consumer prices in 2025, ahead of Prosciutto di Parma, registered in the same year, and Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP, from 2009.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nel 2025 sono state prodotte 4,19 milioni di forme di Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (+2,7% sul 2024), pari a circa 168.000 tonnellate. | [Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano](https://www.parmigianoreggiano.com/it/news/dati-economici-2026) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il giro d'affari al consumo del Parmigiano Reggiano DOP ha raggiunto 3,96 miliardi di euro nel 2025, con l'export pari al 50,5% delle vendite (74.980 tonnellate). | [Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano](https://www.parmigianoreggiano.com/it/news/dati-economici-2026) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Parmigiano Reggiano DOP e registrato nel registro UE dal 21 giugno 1996 ed e la DOP agroalimentare italiana con il maggior giro d'affari (3,96 miliardi di euro al consumo nel 2025). | [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/); [Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano](https://www.parmigianoreggiano.com/it/news/dati-economici-2026) | high | 2099-12-31 |
| Nel 2025 il Grana Padano DOP ha toccato 6.053.690 forme prodotte (+7,4% sul 2024), pari a circa 236.180 tonnellate: e la DOP casearia italiana con il maggior volume. | [Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano](https://www.granapadano.it/it-it/il-consorzio-di-tutela/i-risultati-produzione-e-consumo/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Nel 2025 sono state esportate circa 2,76 milioni di forme di Grana Padano DOP, circa il 45% della produzione. | [Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano](https://www.granapadano.it/it-it/il-consorzio-di-tutela/i-risultati-produzione-e-consumo/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/food.parmigiano-reggiano.1600.jpg
Author: Marie Thérèse Hébert & Jean Robert Thibault from Québec, Canada. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Italie,_Lesignana_di_Modena,_Fromagerie_Quattro_Madonne,_productrice_de_Parmigiano_Reggiano,_%C3%89tape_2_de_la_fabrication_du_fromage_(50244861078).jpg

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