Italian lawmaker Fabio Porta, of the Democratic Party (PD), criticized restrictions on Italian citizenship on Thursday (12) and said that the millions of citizens living abroad should be seen as a strategic resource for Italy. The statement came after the presentation of the Rapporto Italiani nel Mondo 2026 by the Migrantes Foundation in Rome.
Elected by the South America constituency, Porta said the survey data contradict the view that Italian communities abroad represent a problem for the country.
“Italians abroad are not a risk factor. They are a network of people, businesses, skills and relationships, a strategic resource for the country and for Europe,” he said.
According to the report, 6,630,284 Italian citizens were registered with AIRE as of January 1, 2026, an increase of 217,000 people, or 3.4%, from the previous year. Over two decades, the number grew by 113.4%.
Argentina remains the country with the largest community of Italian citizens abroad, with more than 1 million registered. Brazil has more than 760,000.
Youth exodus concerns lawmaker
The survey also indicates that 91,220 Italians were registered with AIRE due to expatriation in 2025, down 26.1% from the previous year. Of that total, 47.5% were between 18 and 34 years old.
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Porta believes the decrease does not eliminate the problem of young people and qualified professionals leaving.
The lawmaker also drew attention to internal migration, especially from southern Italy toward the country’s central and northern regions.
In his view, the response should not be to restrict mobility, but to create conditions that allow citizens to return to their regions of origin.
“We do not need to curb mobility. We need to make it circular and make regions attractive, so that they cease to be places people leave and become places they can return to,” he said.
Porta criticizes changes to Italian citizenship
The lawmaker linked the growth of the Italian community abroad to recent changes in the rules for recognizing citizenship by descent.
According to Porta, the restrictions could weaken ties between Italy and new generations of descendants.
“The recent restrictions risk treating as foreigners the children and grandchildren of those who built Italy’s prosperity, creating inequalities among citizens according to where they live,” he said.
The criticism refers to legislative changes approved in 2025, which restricted the recognition of Italian citizenship by descent for certain groups of people born abroad.
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Porta also questioned Italy’s new election law. According to the lawmaker, the changes in the organization of representation for citizens living outside the country make it more difficult for voters and representatives to connect.
Brazil among the priorities
President of the Italy-Brazil Parliamentary Friendship Group, Porta said he intends to continue working in Parliament to ensure that the data presented by the Migrantes Foundation are used in the development of public policies.
The priorities cited include improving consular services, recognizing diplomas, social security protection and maintaining citizenship ties with emigrant communities.
“I will continue working in Parliament to ensure that these data are turned into concrete policies,” he said.
The Rapporto Italiani nel Mondo 2026, coordinated by Delfina Licata, is in its 21st edition. This year’s study pays special attention to the relationship between work and migration, under the theme Lavorare lontano, costruirsi altrove (Working far away, building a life elsewhere).
