Italy loses over 11,000 bank branches in ten years, deepening credit desertification

From 2015 to 2025 Italy’s banking network shrank by 36.7%, with more than 11,000 branches closed and the total number of outlets falling from 30,258 to about 19,140. The share of municipalities without a bank rose from 2,251 to roughly 3,456, representing almost 44% of all communes. Residents living in areas without a branch increased from 2.26 million to 4.84 million (8.2% of the national population). Over 96% of the branch‑less communes have fewer than 5,000 inhabitants; nine out of ten with under 1,000 residents lack any physical bank. The elderly are disproportionately affected, with about 1.28 million people over 65 and 643,000 over 75 living in these zones. Around 310,000 enterprises (6% of Italy’s firms) and 933,000 workers operate in municipalities without a branch, facing higher costs and longer processing times.

Calabria is the most affected region: 74.5% of its communes lack a bank, leaving 567,000 residents and roughly 32,000 enterprises without nearby services. In Vibo Valentia province, 42.2% of firms operate without a local branch, the highest rate in the country. The scarcity puts pressure on the remaining outlets, with Crotone seeing about 713 enterprises per branch, Reggio Calabria 617, and Vibo Valentia 536. The trend is driven by digital banking adoption, cost‑cutting measures and bank mergers, but observers warn that digital channels cannot fully replace physical presence in ageing, rural communities.