Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy

Italy: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day was 0.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.7%
Change on year
up 26.5%
World rank
26th
of 120 countries
All-time high
1.4%
in 1998
All-time low
0.0%
in 1980
Years of data
38
1977–2023

Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy, 1977–2023

00.511.51977200020231977: 0.1 %1978: 0.3 %1979: 0.1 %1980: 0 %1981: 0 %1982: 0 %1983: 0.1 %1984: 0 %1986: 0.1 %1987: 0.8 %1989: 0 %1991: 0.3 %1993: 0.7 %1995: 0.4 %1998: 1.4 %2000: 1.1 %2002: 1.2 %2003: 0.47 %2004: 0.512 %2005: 0.474 %2006: 0.432 %2007: 0.471 %2008: 0.449 %2009: 0.535 %2010: 0.796 %2011: 0.83 %2012: 0.738 %2013: 1 %2014: 0.805 %2015: 1.3 %2016: 1.1 %2017: 1.1 %2018: 0.966 %2019: 0.849 %2020: 0.627 %2021: 0.589 %2022: 0.514 %2023: 0.65 %

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy is 0.7%, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 26.5% on the previous year and down 35.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy peaked at 1.4% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1980.

Italy ranks 26th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy, 1977 to 2023.
Year % Change
1977 0.1%
1978 0.3% +200.0%
1979 0.1% -66.7%
1980 0.0% -100.0%
1981 0.0%
1982 0.0%
1983 0.1%
1984 0.0% -100.0%
1986 0.1%
1987 0.8% +700.0%
1989 0.0% -100.0%
1991 0.3%
1993 0.7% +133.3%
1995 0.4% -42.9%
1998 1.4% +250.0%
2000 1.1% -21.4%
2002 1.2% +9.1%
2003 0.5% -60.9%
2004 0.5% +9.1%
2005 0.5% -7.4%
2006 0.4% -8.9%
2007 0.5% +9.1%
2008 0.4% -4.6%
2009 0.5% +19.2%
2010 0.8% +48.7%
2011 0.8% +4.3%
2012 0.7% -11.1%
2013 1.0% +36.1%
2014 0.8% -19.8%
2015 1.3% +58.8%
2016 1.1% -10.9%
2017 1.1% -7.8%
2018 1.0% -8.0%
2019 0.8% -12.1%
2020 0.6% -26.2%
2021 0.6% -6.1%
2022 0.5% -12.7%
2023 0.7% +26.5%

Italy compared with similar countries

  • Italy's 0.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 5.6× the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • Italy's 0.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1%, 9.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1987 +700.0% 0.1% 0.8%
1998 +250.0% 0.4% 1.4%
1978 +200.0% 0.1% 0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.2% 0.1% 0.3% 3
1980s 0.1% 0.0% 0.8% 8
1990s 0.7% 0.3% 1.4% 4
2000s 0.6% 0.4% 1.2% 9
2010s 0.9% 0.7% 1.3% 10
2020s 0.6% 0.5% 0.7% 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 23 North Macedonia 0.8% compare
  2. 24 Montenegro 0.8% compare
  3. 25 El Salvador 0.7% compare
  4. 27 Lithuania 0.6% compare
  5. 28 Australia 0.6% compare
  6. 28 Germany 0.6% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy?
Poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy was 0.7% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1998.
What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1980.
How does Italy rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day?
Italy ranks 26th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
Is poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Italy data come from?
The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-living-with-less-than-1-int-per-day/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day
Unit
%
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $1 per day.