Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Italy
Italy: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 57.49 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
57.49 million people
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
14th
of 120 countries
All-time high
57.87 million people
in 2011
All-time low
51.26 million people
in 1977
Years of data
38
1977–2023
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Italy, 1977–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Italy stood at 57.49 million people.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Italy peaked at 57.87 million people in 2011 and was at its lowest, 51.26 million people, in 1977.
Italy ranks 14th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Italy, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 51.26 million people | — |
| 1978 | 52.62 million people | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 52.49 million people | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 54.18 million people | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 54.41 million people | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 55.02 million people | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 54.53 million people | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 54.37 million people | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 54.16 million people | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 54.11 million people | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 55.88 million people | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 55.40 million people | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 53.59 million people | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 53.21 million people | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 53.49 million people | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 54.38 million people | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 54.81 million people | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 55.70 million people | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 56.41 million people | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 56.65 million people | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 57.05 million people | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 57.40 million people | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 57.65 million people | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 57.84 million people | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 57.58 million people | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 57.87 million people | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 57.74 million people | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 57.71 million people | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 57.64 million people | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 57.30 million people | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 57.56 million people | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 57.45 million people | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 57.71 million people | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 57.59 million people | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 57.46 million people | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 57.79 million people | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 57.72 million people | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 57.49 million people | -0.4% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 57.49 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.01 million people, 6.4× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Italy's 57.49 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.91 million people, 9.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.12 million people | 51.26 million people | 52.62 million people | 3 |
| 1980s | 54.58 million people | 54.11 million people | 55.88 million people | 8 |
| 1990s | 53.92 million people | 53.21 million people | 55.40 million people | 4 |
| 2000s | 56.43 million people | 54.38 million people | 57.84 million people | 9 |
| 2010s | 57.61 million people | 57.30 million people | 57.87 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.62 million people | 57.46 million people | 57.79 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
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 distribution of population between different poverty lines in Italy?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Italy was 57.49 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 distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 57.87 million people in 2011.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.26 million people in 1977.
- How does Italy rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Italy ranks 14th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. 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 Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $10 per day.