Italy absolute poverty affects 5.4 million people in 2025

According to the 2025 Istat report, absolute poverty in Italy remains stable, affecting over 5.4 million individuals and 2.1 million families. This represents 9.3% of the population and 8% of all households. While there is a slight statistical decrease compared to 2024, the situation remains critical, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Children and young people are among the most affected, with 1.13 million minors living in absolute poverty. Poverty also correlates strongly with family size and housing status; nearly half of the families in absolute poverty live in rental accommodations, with the incidence rising to 28.7% for families with children in rentals.

Geographically, the Mezzogiorno (South and Islands) continues to experience the highest levels of poverty, with an incidence exceeding 11% of residents. Notably, the intensity of poverty—the gap between actual spending and the minimum threshold—has increased in the South to 19%. In contrast, the Center of Italy shows the lowest incidence at 6.3%.

Social indicators also highlight significant disparities regarding nationality. While only 5.9% of families composed exclusively of Italian citizens live in absolute poverty, the rate rises to 26.7% for families with at least one foreign citizen and 29.4% for families composed entirely of foreign nationals.