More than 5.4 million people in Italy lived in absolute poverty last year, ISTAT says
ISTAT says absolute poverty fell slightly from 2024, but one in three foreign‑citizen households remain poor.
The Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) announced today that roughly 5.4 million people — equal to 9.3 percent of Italy's population — lived in absolute poverty last year.
The figures show a slight decline in absolute poverty compared with 2024. ISTAT reports the poverty rate among households fell to 8 percent last year from 8.4 percent the year before, while the individual rate decreased from 9.8 percent to 9.3 percent.
Who is most affected
ISTAT's data also highlight a persistent disparity affecting migrant families: about one in three households headed by non‑Italian citizens live in poverty. The institute's breakdown indicates that foreign‑national families remain disproportionately exposed compared with the general population.
Analysts point out that the modest overall improvement masks uneven conditions across regions, age groups and employment statuses, with certain groups experiencing much higher incidence of absolute poverty than the national average.
The announcement underlines that, despite the small year‑on‑year decrease, millions of people in Italy continue to face severe material deprivation and limited access to basic goods and services.
Photo: press material from the event
