People, especially young, educated Italians, are leaving Italy primarily due to a lack of good job opportunities, low wages, limited career growth, high taxes, and pervasive bureaucracy, seeking better pay, career advancement, and quality of life in countries with stronger economies, leading to significant brain drain. Economic challenges, including regional divides between North and South, underfunded education, and difficulty achieving financial independence, also push them away, despite Italy's cultural appeal.
Meanwhile the country's stagnant economy and low wages - salaries are below 1990 levels in inflation-adjusted terms - have been blamed for pushing many Italians to seek better fortunes abroad. Last year 382,071 foreigners moved to Italy, up from 378,372 in 2023 and the highest since 2014, statistics agency Istat said.
The decline in fertility, that in Italy and Spain is more pronounced that in northern European countries, has long puzzled demographers; some tentative explanations could be rooted in the lack of affordable childcare services and sociocultural norms regarding family building and female work participation.
One of the few disadvantages of living in Italy is that finding a job in Italy as an expat can be a struggle. The job market in Italy can be challenging for foreign nationals, especially those without Italian language skills. While unemployment has dropped to 6.5%, it remains higher than in some other countries.
Two long-term issues also hamper growth: population aging and weak productivity. The working-age population is projected to decline by double digits between 2024 and 2050. This compounds Italy's long-standing weak productivity problems, with fewer people with the right skills to support innovation.
Italy's weakness and structural problems include internal political instability, a large public debt, slow economic and productivity growth, and significant economic drag imposed by the productivity in southern Italy, partially caused by longstanding public corruption, which has required ongoing fiscal support from the ...
Italy is a low-risk destination, but pickpocketing and scams are common in tourist areas. Italian food and tap water are generally safe, thanks to strict hygiene standards nationwide. Emergency healthcare is modern and reliable; 112 is the national emergency number.
The mainstream's major criticisms of the Italian economy concern the high public debt/GDP ratio, the low R&D/GDP ratio, the small size of Italian enterprises, as well as productivity, competitiveness, and growth, all three of which are considered low.
The major ethnic group in Italy is the Italians, who account for 95% (above 60 million) of the total population of Italy. The remaining 5% of the population consists of ethnicities like Albanians, Romanians, Ukrainians, and other Europeans (2.5%); Africans (1.5%), and several other minorities (1%).
“During the 2025 Jubilee Year, travelers should expect an influx of religious pilgrims, with an estimated 20 to 30 percent increase in visitors to the Vatican and other key religious sites in Rome.
Short answer is YES. In Italy, you're always welcome. Italians don't see individuals as representatives of their governments—we've had so many different ones that political shifts barely faze us.
According to multiple genome-wide studies, Southern Italians are closest to modern Greeks, while Northern Italians are closest to the Spaniards, the Portuguese, and the Southern French.
Yes, the Italian region of Tuscany has a program offering grants up to around $32,000 (€30,000) to help people move to and renovate homes in depopulated mountain areas, part of their "Residenzialità in Montagna 2024" initiative, aiming to revitalize these communities by covering up to 50% of purchase and renovation costs for properties in towns with under 5,000 residents, requiring you to make it your primary home.
The Chin Flick (“Non Mi Interessa”)
How it looks: Flick the back of your fingers under your chin outward. Meaning and context: Conveys “I don't care” or “I'm not interested.” Among friends, it can be lighthearted, but it can also appear rude if used carelessly.
OK! An international gesture displaying your thumb up and your hand closed. In Italy there is also a variant from the normal gesture, made by forming a circle with your thumb and index finger as if forming the letter “O” of OK.
Even though vegetables are a vaunted part of the Mediterranean diet, Italians don't eat more vegetables than Americans do. Italians do, however, eat much less meat. Americans eat 67 percent more. Italians also eat slightly less added sugar, 71 pounds per person in 2021, compared to 74.3 pounds in the U.S.
In 2023, the metropolitan city of Milan ranked first in terms of crime rate, as it recorded 7,100 felonies per 100,000 inhabitants. Furthermore, the provinces of Rome and Florence followed with around 6,000 cases reported.
Italy is expecting unprecedented tourist arrivals in 2025, and the crowds may just get to be too much for your summer vacay. A major religious event that takes place only once every 25 years is slated for 2025, expected to draw millions of pilgrims to the country.
In a world where economies of scale, investment capacity in R&D, and internationalization determine competitiveness, Italy's productive structure appears fragile and difficult to scale. Low productivity, fragmented supply chains, and a widespread risk-averse culture fuel a stagnation that can no longer be ignored.