Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Italy

Italy: Antibiotic usage by surveillance category was 12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Change on year
up 13.0%
World rank
22nd
of 46 countries
All-time high
12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2023
All-time low
9.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2021
Years of data
8
2016–2023

Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Italy, 2016–2023

0510152016201920232016: 12.7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2017: 10.9 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2018: 11.2 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2019: 11.7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2020: 9.7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2021: 9.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2022: 11.3 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2023: 12.8 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day

Source: WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day.

Analysis

The most recent figure for antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Italy is 12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

That represents a change of up 13.0% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.

Italy ranks 22nd of 46 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 11.62 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 10.91 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 12.66 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4
2020s 10.81 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 9.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 19 Belarus 13.73 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  2. 20 Denmark 13.38 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  3. 21 Croatia 13.1 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  4. 23 Lithuania 12.67 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  5. 24 Portugal 12.46 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  6. 25 United Kingdom 12.36 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Italy?
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Italy was 12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023, according to WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023.
What is the lowest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 9.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2021.
How does Italy rank for antibiotic usage by surveillance category?
Italy ranks 22nd out of 46 countries with data for 2023.
Is antibiotic usage by surveillance category rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Italy data come from?
The figures come from WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Antibiotic usage by surveillance category. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category
Unit
defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Source
WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
46 places, 344 data points, 2016–2023
Last refreshed

Total defined daily doses of AWaRe category: Access used per 1000 inhabitants per day. Access antibiotics have activity against a wide range of common pathogens and show lower resistance potential than antibiotics in the other groups.