Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Italy

Italy: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 14.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
14.5%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
37th
of 130 countries
All-time high
16.1%
in 1993
All-time low
9.7%
in 1982
Years of data
38
1977–2023

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Italy, 1977–2023

0510151977200020231977: 12.81978: 121979: 12.71980: 9.91981: 10.31982: 9.71983: 10.51984: 10.91986: 10.21987: 141989: 11.71991: 11.11993: 16.11995: 15.71998: 15.72000: 15.12002: 15.22003: 13.52004: 13.32005: 14.12006: 13.42007: 13.22008: 13.42009: 13.72010: 14.42011: 14.72012: 14.22013: 14.82014: 15.22015: 16.12016: 15.72017: 162018: 15.22019: 152020: 15.62021: 15.32022: 14.62023: 14.5

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

The most recent figure for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Italy is 14.5%, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Italy peaked at 16.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 1982.

That places Italy 37th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in Italy, 1977 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1977 12.8%
1978 12.0% -6.3%
1979 12.7% +5.8%
1980 9.9% -22.0%
1981 10.3% +4.0%
1982 9.7% -5.8%
1983 10.5% +8.2%
1984 10.9% +3.8%
1986 10.2% -6.4%
1987 14.0% +37.3%
1989 11.7% -16.4%
1991 11.1% -5.1%
1993 16.1% +45.0%
1995 15.7% -2.5%
1998 15.7% +0.0%
2000 15.1% -3.8%
2002 15.2% +0.7%
2003 13.5% -11.2%
2004 13.3% -1.5%
2005 14.1% +6.0%
2006 13.4% -5.0%
2007 13.2% -1.5%
2008 13.4% +1.5%
2009 13.7% +2.2%
2010 14.4% +5.1%
2011 14.7% +2.1%
2012 14.2% -3.4%
2013 14.8% +4.2%
2014 15.2% +2.7%
2015 16.1% +5.9%
2016 15.7% -2.5%
2017 16.0% +1.9%
2018 15.2% -5.0%
2019 15.0% -1.3%
2020 15.6% +4.0%
2021 15.3% -1.9%
2022 14.6% -4.6%
2023 14.5% -0.7%

Italy compared with similar countries

  • Italy's 14.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.7%, 1.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • Italy's 14.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11.0%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income 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
1993 +45.0% 11.1% 16.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 12.5% 12.0% 12.8% 3
1980s 10.9% 9.7% 14.0% 8
1990s 14.7% 11.1% 16.1% 4
2000s 13.9% 13.2% 15.2% 9
2010s 15.1% 14.2% 16.1% 10
2020s 15.0% 14.5% 15.6% 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 34 Romania 14.7% compare
  2. 34 State of Palestine 14.7% compare
  3. 36 Bulgaria 14.6% compare
  4. 38 Luxembourg 14.4% compare
  5. 39 Serbia 14.3% compare
  6. 40 Chile 13.9% compare

See the full ranking of 131 places →

More infrastructure data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Italy?
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Italy was 14.5% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 16.1% in 1993.
What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 1982.
How does Italy rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
Italy ranks 37th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-people-living-below-50-percent-of-median-income-percent-2/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
131 places, 2,510 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed