Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy

Italy: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 20.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
20.6%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
20th
of 45 countries
All-time high
21.9%
in 2022
All-time low
11.3%
in 1997
Years of data
31
1995–2025

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy, 1995–2025

051015201995201020251995: 11.6 Percentage1996: 12.6 Percentage1997: 11.3 Percentage1998: 11.6 Percentage1999: 12.4 Percentage2000: 14 Percentage2001: 14.6 Percentage2002: 14.7 Percentage2003: 15.7 Percentage2004: 11.8 Percentage2005: 13.5 Percentage2006: 13.7 Percentage2007: 13.8 Percentage2008: 14.9 Percentage2009: 15.2 Percentage2010: 16.5 Percentage2011: 18.9 Percentage2012: 19.3 Percentage2013: 18.5 Percentage2014: 18.4 Percentage2015: 19.1 Percentage2016: 18.9 Percentage2017: 19.9 Percentage2018: 20.1 Percentage2019: 19.7 Percentage2020: 19.4 Percentage2021: 20.5 Percentage2022: 21.9 Percentage2023: 21.5 Percentage2024: 20.6 Percentage2025: 20.6 Percentage

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.

Analysis

In 2025, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy stood at 20.6%.

That represents a change of up 7.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy peaked at 21.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 1997.

That places Italy 20th out of 45 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy, 1995 to 2025.
Year Percentage Change
1995 11.6% —
1996 12.6% +8.6%
1997 11.3% -10.3%
1998 11.6% +2.7%
1999 12.4% +6.9%
2000 14.0% +12.9%
2001 14.6% +4.3%
2002 14.7% +0.7%
2003 15.7% +6.8%
2004 11.8% -24.8%
2005 13.5% +14.4%
2006 13.7% +1.5%
2007 13.8% +0.7%
2008 14.9% +8.0%
2009 15.2% +2.0%
2010 16.5% +8.6%
2011 18.9% +14.5%
2012 19.3% +2.1%
2013 18.5% -4.1%
2014 18.4% -0.5%
2015 19.1% +3.8%
2016 18.9% -1.0%
2017 19.9% +5.3%
2018 20.1% +1.0%
2019 19.7% -2.0%
2020 19.4% -1.5%
2021 20.5% +5.7%
2022 21.9% +6.8%
2023 21.5% -1.8%
2024 20.6% -4.2%
2025 20.6% +0.0%

Italy compared with similar countries

  • Italy's 20.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20.1%, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Italy's 20.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.9% 11.3% 12.6% 5
2000s 14.2% 11.8% 15.7% 10
2010s 18.9% 16.5% 20.1% 10
2020s 20.8% 19.4% 21.9% 6

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 17 Bulgaria 20.7% compare
  2. 17 Latvia 20.7% compare
  3. 17 Latvia 20.7% compare
  4. 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 20.4% compare
  5. 21 Germany 20.4% compare
  6. 21 France 20.4% compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More reference data data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy?
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy was 20.6% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 21.9% in 2022.
What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 1997.
How does Italy rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
Italy ranks 20th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/over-qualification-rates-by-citizenship/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Over-qualification rates by citizenship
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
47 places, 1,261 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed