Italy data questions answered
The 15 questions people search most about Italy's official figures, each answered from the body that publishes them, with a link to check the latest number yourself.
What is the population of Italy?
Italy had 58,943,000 residents on 1 January 2026 (provisional), almost unchanged from a year earlier (-636 people), according to Istat's Indicatori demografici 2025, published on 31 March 2026. Of these, 5,560,000 were foreign citizens and 53,383,000 Italian citizens.
The population is stable only because of migration: in 2025 deaths (652,000) far exceeded births (355,000), and the net inflow from abroad was +296,000. Istat says the population grew in the North and fell in the South (Mezzogiorno). These are provisional figures from municipal population registers; Istat revises them with its permanent census results.
What are the income tax (IRPEF) rates in Italy?
Italian personal income tax (IRPEF) is charged at 23% on taxable income up to €28,000, 33% from €28,001 to €50,000 and 43% above €50,000, according to the Agenzia delle Entrate (page updated 13 January 2026). The 2026 Budget Law cut the middle rate from 35% to 33%, so tax on €50,000 is €13,700 instead of €14,140.
For people with total income above €200,000 the law includes a mechanism that cancels the benefit of the lower middle rate. These are national rates on income after deductible charges; tax credits (detrazioni) then reduce the amount due, and regional and municipal surcharges (addizionali) are added on top, so the effective rate differs from the bracket rate.
What is the average salary in Italy?
The average gross hourly wage in Italy was about €16.4 in 2022 in firms with at least 10 employees: €16.8 for men and €15.9 for women, according to Istat's Structure of earnings survey, published on 20 January 2025. Workers under 30 earned 36.4% less than those over 50.
The earnings structure survey is run every four years, so it is the most detailed but not the most recent source. For household income, Istat's living conditions release gives average annual household income of €39,501 in 2024, up 4.1% in real terms. Wages set by national collective agreements are tracked monthly in Istat's contractual wages index.
How much is Italy's public debt?
Italian general government debt was €3,205.8 billion at the end of July 2026 (provisional), according to Banca d'Italia's monthly Public Finances: Borrowing Requirement and Debt report of 15 September 2026. It was €3,095.9 billion at the end of 2025.
Measured against the size of the economy, Istat's April 2026 EU notification put debt at 137.1% of GDP at the end of 2025, 2.4 points higher than in 2024. Banca d'Italia compiles the debt figure; Istat compiles the deficit and GDP. Monthly figures in brackets in the report are provisional and are revised.
How many seats does each party have in the Italian parliament?
In the Chamber of Deputies, Fratelli d'Italia has 117 members, the Partito Democratico 68, Lega 56, Forza Italia 52 and Movimento 5 Stelle 48, according to the Chamber's current composition of parliamentary groups. Smaller groups include Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra (10), Azione (10), Noi Moderati (8) and Italia Viva (7), with 23 in the mixed group. The page shows 399 deputies in total.
Group sizes change during a legislature as members move, so they can differ from the 2022 election result. Since 2022 the Chamber has 400 elected seats and the Senate 200. Official election results by constituency are published by the Interior Ministry on Eligendo, and the Chamber's open data portal has members and votes.
What is Italy's GDP growth rate?
Italy's GDP grew 0.2% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the first, and 1.0% on a year earlier, according to Istat's quarterly accounts release of 5 October 2026. Carry-over growth for 2026 is 0.8%. Consumption and investment each grew 0.2%; imports rose 1.5% and exports 1.0%.
The figures are in chained 2020 prices, adjusted for calendar effects and seasonality, and are consistent with the annual accounts revision Istat published on 22 September 2026. Carry-over growth is what annual growth would be if GDP stayed at its second-quarter level for the rest of the year. Istat said the estimate confirmed the growth rates it had published on 1 September 2026.
What is the inflation rate in Italy?
Consumer prices in Italy rose 4.2% in the year to September 2026, up from 3.3% in August, according to Istat's preliminary consumer price estimate of 30 September 2026. On the EU harmonised index (IPCA) the rate was 4.1%. Regulated energy prices were up 25.9% and unregulated energy 22.2%.
Core inflation, excluding energy and fresh food, was 1.7%, well below the headline rate, so energy accounts for most of the rise. The national index (NIC) covers the whole population; a separate FOI index is used to update rents. Istat says final September data are due on 16 October 2026.
What is the unemployment rate in Italy?
Italy's unemployment rate rose to 6.2% in August 2026, up 0.2 points on July, and youth unemployment (ages 15 to 24) rose to 20.3%, according to Istat's provisional employment and unemployment release of 1 October 2026. The number of jobseekers rose 3.1% (48,000) in the month while employment was unchanged; the employment rate was 63.0%.
The figures come from the monthly labour force survey and follow the ILO definition. Monthly data are provisional and can be revised, so Istat also compares three-month periods: June to August 2026 had 40,000 more people in work than March to May. The September figures are due on 29 October 2026.
What is the interest rate in Italy?
Interest rates for Italy are set by the European Central Bank. The ECB's key interest rates table shows the deposit facility rate at 2.50% from 16 September 2026, the main refinancing operations rate at 2.65% and the marginal lending facility at 2.90%. The ECB raised its rates in June and September 2026.
Banca d'Italia, a member of the Eurosystem, publishes Italian bank lending and deposit rates, mortgage rates and government bond data in its BDS statistical database. Rates on Italian mortgages and the spread between Italian and German 10-year bonds are market rates, not set by the ECB.
How many immigrants are there in Italy?
5,560,000 foreign citizens were resident in Italy on 1 January 2026, 188,000 more than a year earlier, according to Istat's Indicatori demografici 2025. In 2025 Istat recorded 440,000 arrivals from abroad and 144,000 departures, a net migration balance of +296,000.
Foreign residents are people without Italian citizenship registered with a municipality; the count excludes people who have become Italian citizens and people without a residence registration. Migration flows include Italians returning or leaving as well as foreigners. Sea arrivals and asylum applications are published separately by the Interior Ministry.
How many people live in poverty in Italy?
5.7 million people in Italy, 9.8% of residents, lived in absolute poverty in 2024, in more than 2.2 million households (8.4%), according to Istat's La povertà in Italia 2024, published on 14 October 2025. Absolute poverty means a household cannot afford a basket of essential goods and services, with thresholds that vary by household size, age and area.
A different measure, from the EU-SILC survey, puts 18.6% of people at risk of poverty in 2025 and 22.6% at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to Istat's living conditions release. The risk-of-poverty rate is relative, based on 60% of median income.
What is the life expectancy in Italy?
Life expectancy at birth in Italy reached 81.7 years for men and 85.7 years for women in 2025, according to Istat's Indicatori demografici 2025. Istat describes Italy as one of the European countries with the highest life expectancy.
The 2025 figures are estimates based on provisional death data and are revised when final data arrive. Life expectancy at birth is a period measure: the average lifespan of a newborn if the death rates by age seen in 2025 applied throughout life. Istat's demography portal has life tables by region and age.
What is the birth rate in Italy?
355,000 babies were born in Italy in 2025, and fertility fell to 1.14 children per woman, according to Istat's Indicatori demografici 2025. Deaths in the same year were 652,000, nearly twice the number of births.
The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have at the birth rates of that year; about 2.1 is needed to replace the population without migration. Istat notes the fall in fertility is common to many European countries. The figures for 2025 are provisional; the demography portal has births and fertility by region.
Are house prices rising in Italy?
Italian house prices rose 1.7% in the second quarter of 2026 and 4.0% on a year earlier, down from 5.1% annual growth in the first quarter, according to Istat's provisional house price index published on 17 September 2026. New homes were up 5.0% on the year and existing homes 3.7%.
The IPAB index covers homes bought by households to live in or as an investment. Istat notes that sales volumes were almost unchanged (+0.1%), according to the Agenzia delle Entrate's property market observatory (OMI), which also publishes price ranges by area. The next release is due on 17 December 2026.
What is Italy's budget deficit?
Italy's general government deficit was €69.4 billion in 2025, 3.1% of GDP, down from 3.4% in 2024, according to Istat's April 2026 EU notification. The primary balance, excluding interest, was a surplus of 0.8% of GDP, while interest spending was 3.9% of GDP.
For 2026, Istat's quarterly public accounts show a deficit of 2.0% of GDP in the second quarter, against 2.1% a year earlier, with the tax burden at 43.5%. Quarterly public accounts are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same quarter across years. The EU reference value for the deficit is 3% of GDP.
Source guides
- Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics)
- Banca d'Italia and the European Central Bank
- Normattiva and the Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian law)
- Registro Imprese (Italian business register)
Questions were chosen from the searches people make most about this country's figures, and each answer was written from the official page it links to, read on 14 October 2026. These answers give no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request.