One in Ten Italians Live in Absolute Poverty

A study published on Tuesday by Italy’s national statistics institute, Istat, revealed that around one in ten Italians lived in poverty in 2024, with large families and immigrant households among the hardest hit. The report found that 5.7 million people, spanning 2.2 million households, were experiencing “absolute poverty,” representing 9.8 percent of the population. The figure has remained steady over the past two years but has increased considerably over the last decade.

The study defined absolute poverty as the inability to afford essential goods and services. For instance, in Rome in 2023, a young couple with one child would require at least 1,568 euros per month (approximately $1,800) to cover basic needs.

Expanding the measure to a broader European standard, 13.6 million Italians — or 23 percent of the population — were considered at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

By this wider benchmark, Italy sits above the European Union average of 21 percent for 2024, placing it behind some western European nations but ahead of countries such as Greece, where nearly 27 percent of the population is at risk. The study also highlighted significant disparities for foreign residents: households composed solely of foreign nationals had a poverty rate of 35 percent, compared with just six percent for all-Italian households.