Italy: Poverty stayed at record level in 2021

Rome: Poverty in Italy remained at an all-time high in 2021, maintaining its trend from 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to a report by Catholic charity Caritas.

In 2021, 5.57 million people, or 9.4% of Italian residents, lived in absolute poverty, according to the report, cited by Italian news agency ANSA on Monday. The poverty in the south of the country was even higher, at 10% in 2021, up from 9.4% in 2020. In the north of Italy, the share of poor households went down from 7.9% in 2020 to 6.7% in 2021.

According to Caritas, the government is not doing enough to tackle poverty in the country.

“The only measure combating poverty in our country, the citizenship wage, has only been received by 4.7 million people.

.. and it would therefore be opportune that it should reach all those lying in the worst conditions, starting with those in absolute poverty,” Caritas said, as cited by ANSA.

Opposition parties in Italy speculate that if Giorgia Meloni, who is likely to become the next prime minister, acts on her campaign promise to revoke much of the basic income law, the country will face a social crisis, the news agency reported. Meloni has said that opportunities need to be created for people to find better jobs, rather than providing them with social benefits in the form of money.

October 17 marks the 30th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, when countries recognize the need for solidarity and shared responsibility to eradicate poverty and discrimination.