Brazil has 760,435 Italian citizens registered with the Registry of Italians Residing Abroad (AIRE), placing it third among countries with the largest Italian communities outside Italy.
The country trails only Argentina, with more than 1 million registrants, and Germany, with 854,809.
The figures are part of the 2026 Italians in the World Report, released on November 12 by the Migrantes Foundation, an organization affiliated with the Italian Bishops’ Conference.
According to the survey, there were 6,630,284 Italian citizens registered with AIRE as of January 1, 2026. The figure represents growth of 113.4% compared with 2006, when there were just over 3.1 million.
In the past year alone, the registry grew by 3.4%, with more than 217,000 new registrants.
A Itália além das fronteiras
Cidadãos italianos inscritos no AIRE em 1º de janeiro de 2026
Italianos residentes no exterior
↗ +113,4% em 20 anos
EXPLORE OS INDICADORES
Onde vivem os italianos?
Os três países com mais cidadãos inscritos no AIRE
Argentina apresentada com valor mínimo aproximado, pois a fonte informa apenas mais de 1 milhão. Barras ilustrativas.
Distribuição por continente
Italianos no exterior mais que dobraram
Total de inscritos no AIRE, comparação entre 2006 e 2026
Crescimento do cadastro em 20 anos. No último ano, a alta foi de 3,4%.
A expansão do AIRE não representa apenas novas saídas da Itália. O cadastro também reúne cidadãos nascidos no exterior.
Mais saídas do que retornos
Cidadãos italianos, segundo dados do Istat relativos a 2025
Saldo migratório de cidadãos italianos em 2025.
Destinos das novas inscrições no AIRE por emigração
Alemanha: 10.137 · Espanha: 9.916 · Suíça: 9.832
Os dados do Istat e as inscrições no AIRE têm metodologias diferentes e não devem ser somados.
Fonte: Fundação Migrantes, Relatório Italianos no Mundo 2026 (AIRE e Istat). Elaboração: Italianismo.
Brazil has the third-largest Italian community abroad
Argentina has the largest community of Italian citizens registered outside the European country, followed by Germany and Brazil. Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France rank next.
The survey considers Italian citizens registered with AIRE, including those born outside Italy who hold Italian citizenship.
This means that the 760,000 registrations in Brazil do not correspond to the country’s total number of descendants of Italians, but rather to Italian citizens registered as residents abroad.
Of all those registered with AIRE worldwide, 46.1% were registered because of emigration, while 41.7% were born outside Italy. Another 3.6% are in the registry because they acquired citizenship.
Women account for 48.4% of registrants.
Number of Italians abroad more than doubled
More than half of Italians living abroad reside in Europe, which accounts for 53.1% of registrants. The Americas account for another 41.8%.
Sicily is the Italian region with the largest number of citizens registered abroad, approximately 855,000, followed by Lombardy, Veneto and Campania.
Compared with the population remaining in Italy, the impact of emigration is especially high in some southern regions.
In Molise, the number of people registered abroad is equivalent to 37.1% of the resident population. In Basilicata, that proportion reaches 30%, and in Calabria, 26%.
Departures decline, but Italy continues to lose residents to other countries
In 2025, 91,220 new AIRE registrations due to emigration were recorded, down 26.1% from the previous year. Among these new registrants, 47.5% were between the ages of 18 and 34.
Data from Italy’s National Institute of Statistics (Istat), which uses its own methodology, show that 109,004 Italian citizens emigrated in 2025, while 56,451 returned to the country.
As a result, Italy recorded a negative migration balance of 52,553 Italian citizens. Compared with 10 years earlier, departures rose 6.6%, while returns increased 88%.
Despite the increase in returns, more Italians continue to leave the country than return.
Spain establishes itself as a destination for Italians
Germany was the main destination among new AIRE registrants due to emigration in 2025, with 10,137 registrations. Spain ranked second, with 9,916, followed by Switzerland, with 9,832.
The report highlights Spain’s growth as a destination for qualified young people, professionals and Italian families. According to the data presented, the number of Italians who emigrated to the Iberian country has nearly tripled over the past five years.
In July 2026, more than 223,000 Italian workers were registered with Spain’s social security system.
One in three Italians who emigrate was born outside Italy
The report also points to a change in the profile of Italian citizens who move between countries. In 2015, Italians born abroad accounted for 22.8% of emigrants with Italian citizenship. In 2025, that share reached 34%.
The figure shows that Italian emigration involves not only people born in Italy, but also citizens who acquired or received citizenship and maintain ties with other countries.
Edited by Delfina Licata, the 2026 Italians in the World Report brings together contributions from 47 authors and dedicates its special edition to the working conditions of Italians living abroad.
The study addresses difficulties related to job insecurity, recognition of qualifications, the cost of living and access to housing. The publication also analyzes the growth of movements returning to Italy and the trajectories of citizens who live and work in different countries throughout their lives.
Newsletter
Últimas do Italianismo
Todo dia, às 18h, um resumo do que aconteceu na Itália direto no seu e-mail.
É gratuito e você cancela quando quiser.
