A quarter of Italians at risk of poverty or social exclusion

Just under a quarter of the Italian population, 24.4%, was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022, Istat said this week.

The national statistics agency said this was down from 25.2% in 2021.

It said the proportion of the population living in conditions of serious deprivation dropped to 4.5% in 2022 from 5.9% in 2021, thanks to the recovery of economic activity after the pandemic and increases in employment and income levels.

Istat said that Italy’s wealthy households earned 5.6 times more than the poorest families in 2021.

The agency said this ratio was stable with respect to 2020.

It said the ratio in favour of wealthy families would have been even higher, with them earning 6.4 times more in 2021, without State income-support measures for the poor.

Istat said the average Italian household’s income was 33,798 euros in 2021, up 3% in nominal terms and 1% in real terms.

Via ANSA