The Italian community in Brazil has achieved a historic feat, surpassing the number of 750 thousand people. This information was confirmed by the Italian ambassador to Brazil, Francis Azzarello, during the celebrations of Party of Italy on 2 in June.
Although it is not official information from the Istat, the Italian government's research institute, Brazil now has the third largest Italian community in the world, behind only Argentina, which has 903.081 Italians, and Germany, which has 813.650 Italians. However, it is estimated that Brazil will take second place by 2025, surpassing Germany in this ranking.
According to recent estimates, the Italian-Brazilian community probably numbers more than 32 million people, with more than 1 million of them living in queues at consulates or wish to go through the process of obtaining Italian citizenship.
This demonstrates the strong connection between the two countries and the interest of Brazilians in their Italian origins.
On the other hand, the Brazilian community in Italy is estimated at 150.000 people.
Italians abroad already number 5,8 million
The report “Italians in the world 2022”, released by Migrant Foundation, reveals that the presence of Italians abroad has grown steadily since 2006, currently reaching more than 5,8 million.
The report also highlights that Italy is an intercultural nation, with 8,8% of residents being foreigners, totaling around 5,2 million people. Furthermore, 9,8% of Italian citizens reside abroad, which represents more than 5,8 million individuals.
Throughout history, since the unification of Italy in 1861 until 2021, approximately 31 million Italian citizens have left the country, with more than 19 million never returned.
Profile of Italians abroad
Among the more than 5,8 million Italian citizens residing abroad, 48,2% are women, equivalent to around 2,8 million people. The majority of these Italians are single (57,9%) or married (35,6%).
In relation to age group, 21,8% are between 18 and 34 years old, 23,2% are between 35 and 49 years old, 19,4% are between 50 and 64 years old, and 21% are over 65 years old. Minors represent 14,5% of the total, highlighting the diversity of ages among Italians living abroad.
Regarding regional origin in Italy, more than 2,7 million (47,0%) of Italians came from the south of the country, with approximately 16% of this group leaving Sicily or Sardinia. More than 2,1 million (37,2%) departed from northern Italy, and 15,7% originate from the center of the country.
Geographic distribution of Italians abroad
With regard to geographic distribution, 54,9% of Italians abroad, equivalent to around 3,2 million people, are in Europe, highlighting the proximity and historical and cultural ties between Italy and the European continent.
The Americas are home to 39,8% (more than 2,3 million) of Italians abroad, with emphasis on the central-south region, where 32,2% (more than 1,8 million) of these individuals are concentrated.
