Around 5.7 Million People in Absolute Poverty in Italy

Rome: Over 2.2 million households were living in conditions of absolute poverty in Italy in 2024, accounting for 8.4% of the nation’s families, Istat announced on Tuesday. These families comprised a total of 5.7 million individuals, which meant that 9.8% of Italy’s population was living in absolute poverty last year.

According to Ansa News Agency, the national statistics agency reported that the proportion of families in Italy living in absolute poverty remained steady compared to 2023. However, the percentage of individuals experiencing such conditions saw a slight increase from 9.7% the previous year.

The incidence of absolute poverty was notably higher among families with foreign nationals. For families with at least one foreign national, the poverty rate rose to 30.4%, and for those composed exclusively of non-Italians, it increased to 35.2%. In contrast, the incidence dropped to 6.2% for households consisting entirely of Italian nationals.

Istat also highlighted that the individuals living in absolute poverty last year included 1.283 million minors, representing 13.8% of all under-18s in the country.