Absolute poverty affected 5.4 million people in Italy in 2025

Italy had 5.4 million people in absolute poverty in 2025, according to estimates from the national statistics agency, Istat.

That was 9.3% of the population, down from 9.8% in 2024.

Absolute poverty means a household’s spending is below the level needed to meet basic needs.

More than 2.1 million households were affected, equal to 8% of all households, compared with 8.4% the year before.

The rate was higher among households with foreign residents: 26.7% where at least one person was foreign, and 29.4% where all members were foreign, compared with 5.9% among households made up only of Italians.

Children had the highest rate by age group, at 12.5%, while the rate was 6.1% among people aged 65 and over.

Poverty rates also fell across Italy’s regions, with the largest drop in the south, but the data show that millions of people remained affected.