Italy see reduction in poverty risk, gaps in employment, wages persist

(MENAFN) In 2023, the percentage of the Italian population at risk of poverty fell to 18.9 percent, marking a decrease of 1.2 percentage points from the previous year and achieving the lowest level since 18.7 percent in 2010. This data, provided by the European Union's statistics office Eurostat, indicates an improvement, although the risk of poverty in Italy remains significantly higher than the European Union average of 16.2 percent. The poverty risk threshold is defined by Eurostat as individuals earning less than 60 percent of the national average disposable income.

According to the Italian news agency ANSAmed, Eurostat reported that 11.12 million people in Italy were at risk of poverty in 2023, a reduction of 676,000 individuals compared to 2022. This decline in the poverty risk rate coincided with a 1.5 percent increase in the employment rate for people aged 20 to 64, compared to the previous year. Despite this increase, the employment rate for this age group in Italy was 66.3 percent, which is significantly lower than the European Union average of 75.3 percent.

Furthermore, Eurostat's data highlighted that Italy has the second lowest gender pay gap in the European Union, following Luxembourg. The difference between the average incomes of men and women in Italy was 4.3 percent, much lower than the EU average of 12.7 percent. Despite these improvements in poverty risk and the relatively small gender pay gap, Italy's overall employment rate remains a critical area needing attention to align more closely with broader EU standards. 

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