In 2025, it is estimated that there will be over 2.1 million families in absolute poverty, for a total of 5.4 million individuals. These are the data from the new Istat report on poverty in Italy which confirms the very serious poverty of a very large number of Italian families, with no signs of change compared to 2024. In percentage terms, the incidence of absolute poverty among families is equal to 8.0%, stable compared to 2024 (+8.4%), and at 9.3% among people, also stable compared to the previous year (+9.8%).
The incidence of absolute poverty for families composed only of Italians is equal to 5.9%, rising to 26.7% among those with at least one foreigner and reaching 29.4% among families composed exclusively of foreigners.
The incidence of relative poverty is also stable, which among families stands at 10.8%, from 10.9% in 2024. There are over 2.8 million families in relative poverty, for a total of almost 8.7 million individuals.
Over 5.4 million individuals in absolute poverty in Italy in 2025
In 2025, just over 2.1 million families are estimated to be in absolute poverty; the incidence, equal to 8.0% of the total resident families, is stable compared to 2024. There are over 5.4 million individuals in absolute poverty, representing 9.3% of the total residents, a share which is also stable compared to that of the previous year.
The stability of the phenomenon compared to 2024 also confirms the highest incidence in the South (involving 813 thousand families, 9.6% of the residents in the distribution), followed by the North-West (568 thousand families, 7.7%) and the North-East (386 thousand families, 7.4%); the Center shows, also in 2025, the lowest values (338 thousand families, 6.3%). Among the absolutely poor families, 38.6% reside in the South (39.8% in 2024), 45.3% in the North (44.5% in 2024) and the remaining 16.1% in the Center (15.7% in 2024).
The incidence of absolute poverty decreases as age increases, going from 12.5% among minors (for a total of 1 million 136 thousand), to 12.1% among young people aged 18-34 (almost 1 million 198 thousand), to 8.9% for 35-64 year olds and to 6.1% among over 65s (over 891 thousand).
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The intensity of absolute poverty, which measures in percentage terms how much the monthly expenditure of poor families is on average below the poverty line (i.e. "how poor are the poor"), remains stable at national level (18.5%), in the North (18.2%, with values equal to 18.5% in the North-West and 17.8% in the North-East) and in the Center (18.2%), while in the South there is a slight increase: the estimates rise to 19.0%, from 18.5% in 2024, due to the increase in the Islands (where it rises from 17.0% to 19.0%).
Signs of improvement compared to 2024, at a national level, are observed in the smaller municipalities of up to 50 thousand inhabitants (other than the municipalities on the outskirts of the metropolitan area), where the incidence of absolute poverty drops to 7.4% from 8.9%. Absolute poverty, on the other hand, is stable in municipalities with over 50 thousand inhabitants, in peripheral municipalities of metropolitan areas, where the incidence is equal to 8.9%, and in central municipalities of metropolitan areas, where it stands at 8.1%.
The dynamics, however, are different in the distributions: the stability in the central municipalities of the metropolitan area is the synthesis of a decline in the incidence in the North, where from 8.2% it drops to 5% (in the North-West to 4.2%), and of an increase in the Center where it rises to 8.3% (from 4.1% in 2024). The improvement in the smaller municipalities (not peripheral to metropolitan areas) is instead driven by the Centre, with values equal to 5.4% (from 7.9% in 2024), and by the South, where the incidence reaches 8.2% (from 11.0% in 2024).
Large families are poorer
The incidence of absolute poverty is confirmed to be higher among families with a high number of members: it reaches 19.2% among those with five or more and 10.5% among those with four, while it drops to 8.4%, still a higher than average value, among families with three members.
Among couples with three or more children, almost one in six is in absolute poverty (16.9%); even for "other typology" families, where multiple families often live together and/or there are aggregate members, the incidence is high (16.4%). The incidence values for single-parent families are higher than average, among which more than one in 10 (11.5%) is in absolute poverty.
Education and work against poverty
The incidence of absolute poverty decreases as the educational qualification of the reference person increases: if the latter has obtained at least a high school diploma, the incidence is equal to 4.4%; is more than twice as high (11.9%) if the p.r. has a middle school diploma at most and increases further, rising to 12.3%, for families in which the reference person has obtained a primary school diploma at most. For the latter, concentrated among elderly families, there was an improvement in the incidence values compared to 2024 (when it was equal to 14.4%).
Among families with an employed reference person, the incidence of poverty is equal to 8.5% if the reference person is an employee, reaching 14.3% if the reference person is classified as a worker and similar. Among families with a self-employed reference person, the highest incidence values (6.6%) are recorded for families classified as "other independent" (self-employed people who are neither entrepreneurs nor freelancers).
Finally, the incidence remains at higher values for families with a reference person looking for work (20.7%), while among families with a reference person retired from work it is contained and equal to 5.2%.
One million children at risk
In 2025, absolute poverty involves over 1 million 136 thousand minors (12.5% of resident minors), varying from 10.7% in the Center to 15.2% in the South.
Compared to 2024, substantial stability is observed in the incidence of absolute poverty, with signs of improvement for the 7-13 age group (12.1%, from 14.9% in 2024).
Among families in absolute poverty in which there are minors, over 656 thousand (11.2%), the highest incidence, equal to 19.4%, is observed for those of "other types" (where multiple families live together and/or there are aggregate members); among couples, the spread of the phenomenon increases as the number of minor children increases (7.8% for couples with one minor child, 10.0% for those with two minor children and 17.7% if there are at least three minor children), reaching high values even among single-parent families (11.6%).
The intensity of poverty for families with minors, equal to 21.6%, is higher than that calculated for the total families (18.5%), highlighting the widespread condition of economic hardship.
Even for families with minors, the association between the spread of absolute poverty and the working condition/position in the profession of the reference person is confirmed: among employed families, the highest incidence is found if the reference person is a worker and similar (15.5%), followed by those classified as "other independent" (10.5%). It reaches 21.1% for families with minors in which the reference person is not employed and for those in which the person is looking for work.
More at risk in metropolitan areas
In the central municipalities of the metropolitan area, compared to other municipal typologies, the highest incidence values for families with minors are recorded (13.4%). In the smaller municipalities, with up to 50 thousand inhabitants, the estimates reach 9.9% and in the municipalities on the outskirts of the metropolitan area and the municipalities with over 50 thousand inhabitants they are equal to 12.3%. The link between citizenship and socio-economic condition is also evident among families with minors: among those made up only of Italians the incidence stands at 7.8% and becomes four times higher (31.4%) if made up solely of foreigners (it stops at 27.8% in the case of families with minors in which there is at least one foreign member). Compared to 2024, families with minors where foreigners are present (both those made up only of foreigners and those in which at least one foreigner is present) still record a reduction in the incidence of absolute poverty values.
