The national statistics agency added that the percentage was this high even though the overall number of occupied homes increased by 6.4 per cent between 2011 and 2021.
It said most empty homes were in Southern Italy and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, although the region with the highest level is the Aosta Valley in the north.
Lombardy, on the other hand, has the highest density of housing, with 234.7 homes per square kilometre, compared to a national average of 116.8.
Istat said 56.3 per cent of Italy’s residential properties were built between 1961 and 2000, while 9.5 per cent are over 100 years old.
Liguria, Tuscany and Piedmont are the regions with the oldest homes.
ANSA
