Number of people living in extreme poverty in Italy
Italy: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 58.44 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
58.44 million people
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
22nd
of 120 countries
All-time high
59.45 million people
in 2014
All-time low
55.79 million people
in 1977
Years of data
38
1977–2023
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Italy, 1977–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Italy recorded 58.44 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Italy peaked at 59.45 million people in 2014 and was at its lowest, 55.79 million people, in 1977.
That places Italy 22nd out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Italy, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 55.79 million people | — |
| 1978 | 55.87 million people | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 56.04 million people | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 56.32 million people | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 56.45 million people | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 56.49 million people | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 56.45 million people | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 56.46 million people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 56.37 million people | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 55.98 million people | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 56.62 million people | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 56.59 million people | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 55.98 million people | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 56.45 million people | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 55.94 million people | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 56.20 million people | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 56.12 million people | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 56.89 million people | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 57.37 million people | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 57.70 million people | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 57.95 million people | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 58.29 million people | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 58.71 million people | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 58.91 million people | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 58.98 million people | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 59.27 million people | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 59.34 million people | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 59.34 million people | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 59.45 million people | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 58.99 million people | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 59.05 million people | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 59.08 million people | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 59.13 million people | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 59.11 million people | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 58.92 million people | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 58.62 million people | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 58.61 million people | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 58.44 million people | -0.3% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 58.44 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.58 million people, 6.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Italy's 58.44 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.39 million people, 7.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 55.90 million people | 55.79 million people | 56.04 million people | 3 |
| 1980s | 56.39 million people | 55.98 million people | 56.62 million people | 8 |
| 1990s | 56.24 million people | 55.94 million people | 56.59 million people | 4 |
| 2000s | 57.57 million people | 56.12 million people | 58.91 million people | 9 |
| 2010s | 59.17 million people | 58.98 million people | 59.45 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.65 million people | 58.44 million people | 58.92 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 19 Thailand 71.66 million people compare
- 20 France 68.32 million people compare
- 21 United Kingdom 66.72 million people compare
- 23 South Africa 52.09 million people compare
- 24 South Korea 51.72 million people compare
- 25 Colombia 48.39 million people compare
More poverty & inequality data for Italy
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.2 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,059 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 6.51 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 41.99 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 42.0% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Italy?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Italy was 58.44 million people in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 59.45 million people in 2014.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.79 million people in 1977.
- How does Italy rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Italy ranks 22nd out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.