The Italian community abroad has experienced remarkable growth, with an 87% increase in mobility over the last 17 years, from 2006 to 2022.
Currently, there are around 6 million Italians registered with AIRE – Anagrafe degli italiani all'estero (Register of Italians Resident Abroad).
The migration sociologist at Fondazione Migrantes, Delfina Licata, highlighted these trends during the event 'L'Italia delle partenze e dei ritorni. Pensionati migranti di ieri e oggi' (The Italy of Departures and Returns. Retired migrants of yesterday and today), organized by Inps, the Italian National Institute of Social Security, and Fondazione Migrantes, the pastoral body of the Italian bishops' conference.
As Italy faces a demographic winter, the number of Italians abroad continues to grow, becoming a significant part of the Italian diaspora.
An important factor in this growth is the rejuvenation of the community, driven by the increase in births abroad to Italian citizens and the acquisition of Italian citizenship by people of Italian origin, especially in South America.
Among the Italians who leave the country, 42% are aged between 18 and 44, which reflects the presence of a young population in the Italian diaspora.
Today, the Italian community abroad includes more than 1,2 million citizens over the age of 65, with a predominance of women. Notably, about 285 thousand of them are over 85 years old, which presents additional challenges in terms of pension and health needs.
The main countries with Italian retirement communities are Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland and France.
Regions like Sicilia, Calabria, Lazio e Veneto These represent the largest communities of origin. The provinces of Agrigento, Rome, Avellino, and Cosenza stand out as significant starting points for this diaspora.
