Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Italy
Italy: Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median was 21.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% 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 60% of the median in Italy is 21.2%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Italy peaked at 23.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 1982.
Italy ranks 32nd 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 60% of the median in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 19.6% | — |
| 1978 | 18.1% | -7.7% |
| 1979 | 19.4% | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 18.3% | -5.7% |
| 1981 | 17.2% | -6.0% |
| 1982 | 16.3% | -5.2% |
| 1983 | 17.2% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 16.9% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 17.8% | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 20.8% | +16.9% |
| 1989 | 18.6% | -10.6% |
| 1991 | 19.0% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 23.1% | +21.6% |
| 1995 | 22.0% | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 22.1% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 21.4% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 21.6% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 20.3% | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 20.0% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 20.6% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 20.4% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 19.9% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 20.5% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 20.3% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 21.0% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 21.2% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 21.4% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 21.6% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 22.8% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 22.3% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 21.5% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 21.4% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 21.9% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 21.0% | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 21.4% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.0% | 18.1% | 19.6% | 3 |
| 1980s | 17.9% | 16.3% | 20.8% | 8 |
| 1990s | 21.6% | 19.0% | 23.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 20.6% | 19.9% | 21.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 21.6% | 20.5% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.4% | 21.0% | 21.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 29 Palestine, State of 22.5% compare
- 30 Dominican Republic 22.3% compare
- 31 Chile 21.5% compare
- 33 Spain 21.0% compare
- 34 Uganda 20.8% compare
- 35 Tajikistan 20.8% 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 relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Italy?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Italy was 21.2% 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 60% of the median recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 1982.
- How does Italy rank for relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median?
- Italy ranks 32nd out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. 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 60% 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 60% of the median.