The number of foreigners living in the Abruzzo region has increased, according to figures dating back to 2023 analyzed in the statistical dossier on immigration presented on March 21 at the University of L'Aquila, the capital of the Abruzzo region.
Abruzzo, a mainly mountainous region in central-southern Italy, has recorded a growing number of foreigners among its residents. According to an immigration report presented by the University of L'Aquila on March 21, by the end of 2023, 87,066 foreigners were registered among the region's population. That is 6.9 percent of the overall population in the region.
The study was presided over by Professor Luigi Gaffuri, who teaches human and social geography of Africa, as part of an event to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
According to the study, which the professor contributed in drafting, most foreigners live in the province of L'Aquila (24,560), followed by Teramo (23,599), Chieti (21,144) and Pescara (17,763).
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Foreign citizens on average younger than Italians
Foreign citizens are on average younger than Italians with the age group between 30 and 44 representing 30.7 percent of the total.
Most foreigners in the region are from Romania (21,787 residents, 26.3 percent), followed by Albanians (10,763, 13 percent) and Moroccans (7,827, 9,4 percent).
The presence of Ukrainians (4,134, five percent) and Chinese (3,887, 4.7 percent) is also significant.
There are 2,633 Senegalese citizens, mainly living around the port of Pescara, while Bangladeshi nationals number 1,903 and is on the increase, according to the dossier.
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Sectors of employment and increase in residence permits
The labor market employs some 36,100 foreign workers, or 7.2 percent of the total in the region.
A reported 58.7 percent work in services, 29.9 percent in the industrial sector and 11.4 percent in agriculture.There are 14,467 companies in the region managed by migrants, mainly operating in trade (31.8 percent) and construction (19.5 percent). However, the number of such activities has dropped by 2.8 percent over the last year, the report noted.
Some like the migrants in the picture also carry out volunteer work in the region.
At the end of 2023, residence permit holders numbered 62,589, up 3.8 percent from the previous year.
A recorded 52.1 percent had a long-term residence permit, while 7,222 new permits were released mainly for reasons of international protection (45.5 percent) and to join family members (35.6 percent).
There were 14,383 foreign students enrolled in schools in Abruzzo in the 2022/2023 academic year, with an increase compared to the previous year, according to the dossier.