Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Italy
Italy: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 14.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Italy, 1977–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Italy is 14.5%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Italy peaked at 16.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 1982.
Italy ranks 34th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 12.8% | — |
| 1978 | 12.0% | -6.3% |
| 1979 | 12.7% | +5.8% |
| 1980 | 9.9% | -22.0% |
| 1981 | 10.3% | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 9.7% | -5.8% |
| 1983 | 10.5% | +8.2% |
| 1984 | 10.9% | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 10.2% | -6.4% |
| 1987 | 14.0% | +37.3% |
| 1989 | 11.7% | -16.4% |
| 1991 | 11.1% | -5.1% |
| 1993 | 16.1% | +45.0% |
| 1995 | 15.7% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 15.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 15.1% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 15.2% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 13.5% | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 13.3% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 14.1% | +5.7% |
| 2006 | 13.4% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 13.2% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 13.4% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 13.7% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 14.4% | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 14.7% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 14.2% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 15.2% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 16.1% | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 15.7% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 16.0% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 15.2% | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 15.0% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 15.6% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 14.6% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 14.5% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.5% | 12.0% | 12.8% | 3 |
| 1980s | 10.9% | 9.7% | 14.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 14.7% | 11.1% | 16.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 13.9% | 13.2% | 15.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 14.2% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.0% | 14.5% | 15.6% | 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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Italy?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Italy was 14.5% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 16.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 1982.
- How does Italy rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Italy ranks 34th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.