Italy Caritas report shows record poverty levels in 2025

The Caritas network’s 2025 report on poverty in Italy recorded a historic high, assisting more than 282,000 individuals – equivalent to the same number of families – a 1.7% increase over 2024 and the highest figure ever reported. The data, collected from 3,520 services across 206 dioceses, show that families with minor children account for 52% of those helped, while the elderly are increasingly vulnerable, with a 191% rise in assistance for people over 65 over the past decade and an overall 48% growth in elderly users.

Housing hardship remains acute: over 24,000 people are without shelter and 24.9% of those assisted face a severe housing emergency. Health‑related needs have risen 69%, including mental‑health support. In the Marche region, 15,622 people (5.5% of the national total) received aid, a slight 2.4% decline from the previous year, with foreigners representing 61.5% of regional requestors.

Cisl secretary Sauro Rossi used the report to call for a universalised Active Support Measure (ADI) and for additional territorial funding to protect families in need, arguing that existing measures are insufficient to curb the growing poverty trend.