Over 2 million Italian families in absolute poverty - Istat

The national statistics agency said this represented 8.3 per cent of the total number of families, up from 7.7 per cent in 2021.

It said the incidence of families in absolute poverty reached 11.2 per cent in southern Italy, compared to 7.9 per cent in the north-east and 7.2 per cent in the north-west.

Istat added that around 5.6 million individuals were in absolute poverty last year, an increase of 357,000 compared to 2021.

That took the proportion of individuals in absolute poverty up from 9.1 per cent to 9.7 per cent.

The agency said the increases were “largely attributable to the strong acceleration in inflation”.

Istat said 1.27 million minors were in absolute poverty last year, taking the proportion up to 13.4 per cent from 12.6 per cent.

ANSA