“Almost thirty years since the report was first published, the phenomenon of poverty can be said to have completely changed in terms of numbers and social profiles (of those affected),” Caritas said.

It said that over 5.674 million people were in absolute poverty in Italy, a rise of 357,000 compared to 2021.

It said that is equal to 9.7 per cent of the population, meaning that almost one in 10 residents do not have access to a decent standard of living.

“It is now a structural phenomenon, no longer residual, as it was in the past,” the report said.

Caritas added that 14.304 million people were at risk of poverty and social exclusion in Italy, 24.4 per cent of the population.

ANSA