Rome, Oct 14 : More than 5.7 million people in Italy were living in absolute poverty in 2024, with the overall rate remaining broadly unchanged from the previous year, the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) reported Tuesday.

The figure corresponds to about 2.2 million households, or 8.4 per cent of Italy's population of roughly 59 million, according to the report.

ISTAT defines absolute poverty as the condition of households whose income is insufficient to afford the minimum basket of goods and services necessary for an acceptable standard of living.

The data revealed significant regional disparities. Southern Italy recorded the highest poverty rate, with 10.5 per cent -- or about 886,000 households -- affected. The rate stood at 8.1 per cent in the northwest with 595,000 households, 7.6 per cent in the northeast, and 6.5 per cent in central Italy with 349,000 households, the lowest level nationwide.

While the incidence of absolute poverty remained stable across age groups, it reached 13.8 per cent among those under 18 -- the highest level since 2014, ISTAT said.

The report also underscored a stark gap between Italian citizens and foreign residents. Around 1.8 million foreign residents lived in absolute poverty in 2024, accounting for 35.6 per cent of the foreign population -- nearly five times higher than the 7.4 per cent recorded among Italian citizens.

/IANS