Market Research Companies in Milan

Key figures for researchers

Population

1,399,079 registered residents (end of 2025, municipal register)¹

Metropolitan area

3.25 million residents in 133 municipalities (1 January 2025)²

Districts

9 municipi³

Foreign residents

295,805, or 21.1% of residents, from over 150 countries (2025)¹

Foreign residents by district

27.8% in Municipio 2, around 16% in Municipi 1 and 3 (2025)¹

Households

780,935; 57.5% are single-person households (2025)¹

Living alone

435,044 people, 32% of residents (2025)¹

Household size

1.8 people on average (1 January 2025)²

Households with a foreign head

22% of households (2025)¹

Average age, metropolitan area

45.6 years (1 January 2025)²

Research guide

Research landscape

Milan is one of the main centres of the Italian research industry, alongside Rome: full-service agencies, qualitative specialists, B2B and healthcare firms, field networks, panel providers and viewing facilities. The city also hosts large trade fairs and fashion events, such as the Salone del Mobile and Milano Fashion Week, which matter for B2B, retail, design and fashion research.

Who you will interview

Milan is more international than Italy as a whole: at the end of 2025, 295,805 residents (21.1%) were foreign citizens, from over 150 countries, and 22% of households had a foreign head. Shares differ a lot by district, from around 16% in Municipi 1 and 3 to 27.8% in Municipio 2. Some communities are concentrated: 57% of Chinese residents live in Municipi 8 and 9, and almost half of Bangladeshi residents in Municipi 2 and 9.

Households are small. 57.5% of households are one person, 435,044 people (32% of residents) live alone, and the average household has 1.8 people. Only 10.7% of households have four or more members. For studies on families or children, expect lower incidence and longer recruitment than the household count suggests. Italian is the fieldwork language; translated questionnaires or bilingual interviewers help when foreign residents matter.

Fieldwork in practice

The city is divided into 9 municipi (districts). Sampling or quotas by municipio help control the spread of interviews, especially as the share of foreign residents and household types vary between districts. Decide early whether the target is the city (1.40 million registered residents at the end of 2025) or the metropolitan area (3.25 million people in 133 municipalities on 1 January 2025): for workers, shoppers or commuters, a city-only sample may miss part of the target.

In-home and door-to-door interviews often mean apartment buildings with entry phones or a concierge, and single-person households are harder to find at home. Face-to-face studies usually need more contact attempts and evening or weekend slots. Online panels are the main method for consumer surveys, with telephone or in-person interviews for older and offline audiences (see the Italy guide for internet use and telephone rules).

Focus groups and qualitative research

In-person focus groups are usually held in dedicated viewing facilities with a one-way mirror and video streaming. Check how easy the facility is to reach by public transport for evening groups, and whether respondents from the wider metropolitan area are included.

Ask the agency for its Milan incentive levels and recruitment lead times, especially for B2B, luxury or senior respondents, who often prefer online interviews. Avoid the big trade fair weeks for business targets: hotels, venues and respondents are in high demand.

Timing

Summer is long: in 2026/27 lessons in Lombardy end on 8 June 2027 and start again in mid-September (14 September in 2026). The Assumption holiday in mid-August (Ferragosto) falls in the middle of this period: avoid August for B2B and family targets.

7 December is the feast of Sant’Ambrogio, Milan’s patron saint: offices close, and the next day, 8 December, is a national holiday. Christmas school holidays in Lombardy run from 23 to 31 December 2026 and from 2 to 5 January 2027. Plan around the major events: the Salone del Mobile runs from 13 to 18 April 2027 at Fiera Milano Rho, and the September 2026 edition of Milano Fashion Week ran from 22 to 28 September.

Working with a Milan agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, city or metropolitan area, municipi, method, languages and deadline.
• For face-to-face or recruitment, ask how the agency reaches single-person households, working people and foreign residents.
• For focus groups, ask for the facility address, viewing room capacity, streaming options and incentive levels.
• Check the fieldwork dates against August, 7–8 December and the big trade fair and fashion weeks.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 Milan companies from this page.

National rules (data protection, holidays, sampling across regions) are covered in our guide to market research in Italy.