InfoMigrants

A new edition of the Caritas-Migrantes Immigration Report highlights recent developments in Italy’s demographic composition. The foreign population is increasing, now accounting for 10.5 percent of the workforce and 11.5 percent of the total student population.

In Italy, the foreign population continues to grow, currently accounting for 9.2 percent of the total population, or approximately 5.4 million people.

According to the 34th Caritas-Migrantes Immigration Report, "net migration with foreign countries has offset both the negative natural balance and the reduction in internal mobility."

The publication, titled "Young People of Foreign Origin: With Them, Italy Transforms and Hopes", was presented in Rome on October 14.

Romania, Morocco, Albania, Ukraine, and China main countries of origin

The principal countries of origin of foreign residents in Italy remain Romania, Morocco, Albania, Ukraine, and China. However, in recent years, there has been a notable increase in arrivals from Peru and, above all, from Bangladesh.

In just two years, the Bangladeshi community has grown significantly. Bangladesh now ranks among the top three nationalities for newly issued residence permits in more than half of Italy's provinces.

Foreign citizens legally residing in Italy "are concentrated mainly in the Central and Northern regions, while the presence of irregular migrants is unevenly distributed across the territory."

The report notes that irregular migrants often face "precarious housing conditions and settlement patterns that vary depending on the local context: from rural ghettos in Southern Italy to occupied spaces in urban areas of the Center and North."

A new joint survey by Caritas Italy and the Migrantes Foundation on access to housing highlights "the persistence of serious housing problems, confirming the existence of discrimination, hardship, barriers, and obstacles that overwhelmingly place foreign citizens at a disadvantage."

Over 21 percent of newborns have at least one foreign parent

Regarding births, "despite an ongoing decline, in 2024 total births amounted to around 370,000, and more than 21 percent of newborns had at least one foreign parent."

This, the report states, "is a telling indicator of the structural contribution of migrant families to the regeneration of the resident population."

Similarly, the more than 217,000 citizenship acquisitions recorded in 2024 offer "a privileged lens through which to observe the transformations underway: in particular, in Italy's internal and rural areas, the foreign presence helps counter depopulation and keeps schools, services, and basic economic activities alive."

Over 2.5 million foreign workers

Total employment in Italy has reached 24 million workers, including over 2.5 million foreigners (10.5 percent of the total), the report states. The overall employment rate rose to 61.3 percent (+1 percentage point compared to 2023), though with sharp disparities: among non-EU citizens it fell to 57.6 percent (-3.3 points), while among EU citizens it remained stable at 62.2 percent.

Unemployment, while decreasing overall (-14.6 percent), improved mainly among Italians (-16 percent), and less so among non-EU citizens (-5.9 percent), who still face a 10.2 percent unemployment rate compared to 6.1 percent among Italians.

As for inactivity, while the overall rate has declined by 2.2 points since 2021, it has remained stable between 2023 and 2024, with a worrying +6.1 percent among non-EU citizens.

Nevertheless, foreigners play an increasingly active role: in 2024, 2,673,696 new employment contracts involving foreign citizens were registered, accounting for 25 percent of all new contracts, an increase of 5.8 percent compared to 2023.

Most of these hires occurred in North-Western (340,000) and North-Eastern (267,000) regions, where foreigners make up over 21 percent of the workforce.

The South and Islands, although having a lower share (16.6 percent), recorded the most significant growth (+13.6 percent).

Education: Nearly one million students of foreign citizenship

In the 2023/2024 school year, Italy counted 910,984 students with non-Italian citizenship, representing 11.5 percent of the total student population.

"In many ways, the new generations of immigration resemble all the young generations," the report notes, "but they are more cosmopolitan and 'naturally' multicultural, being accustomed to movement and to finding balance between different worlds."

The vast majority of immigrant children were born and raised in Italy: they are "Italians in every practical sense yet still lack formal citizenship."