Rising number of foreigners in Italy: ‘Nearly all are employed,’ says INPS

Rome: An observatory on foreigners under Italy’s National Institute for Social Security (INPS) released data on November 28, highlighting that over 87 percent of foreign nationals in the country are employed.

The number of foreigners in Italy — whether immigrants or otherwise — is steadily rising. In 2023, their total reached 4.3 million, a significant increase from 3,409,388 in 2014. This figure is comparable to the population of a major city like Rome.

Over 87 percent of them have a job, with the largest number from Romania, followed by Albania, Morocco, China, and Ukraine.

Few are in the southern part of the country, with most either in the central or northern parts of Italy, according to data released on November 28 by the observatory on foreigners in Italy, a division of Italy’ National Institute for Social Security (INPS).

At a trade union confederation assembly on November 27, Italian President Sergio Mattarella highlighted the contributions of immigrant craftsmen, stating: “The increase in craftsmen among immigrants is a positive sign. It helps to enrich and keep alive skills and trades that can reactivate circuits at risk of being interrupted. It develops talents, innovates products and markets.”

According to INPS, foreigners in Italy—both EU and non-EU nationals—registered in their database totaled 4,384,044 in 2023. Of these, 3,820,718 (87.2 percent) were employed, 319,456 (7.3 percent) were retired, and 243,870 (5.6 percent) received income support for unemployment or disability. This means that more than eight in ten are working and paying taxes, while just over one in ten receives pensions or income support.

Foreigners in Italy are predominantly employed in the private sector, with 3.3 million (57.5 percent male) earning an average annual income of about 16,000 euros.

Men make up 56.7 percent of foreign workers overall, but gender representation varies significantly by country. For instance, the majority of workers from Pakistan (94.6 percent), Bangladesh (93.7 percent), and Egypt (92 percent) are male, while women dominate among workers from Ukraine (79.2 percent), Moldova (66.7 percent), and Peru (59.3 percent). Women are often employed in caregiving and domestic roles.

Regional distribution highlights a concentration in northern Italy, where 61.8 percent of foreigners lived or worked in 2023, compared to 23.3 percent in central Italy and just 14.9 percent in southern Italy and its islands. Foreigners accounted for 9.9 percent of the population in northern Italy, 8.7 percent in central regions, and 3.3 percent in the south. At the national level, there were 7.4 foreign nationals out of every 100 total residents.