In the last 15 years, more than 2 million people have migrated to the north
Southern Italy is facing a serious depopulation problem, with more emigration than immigration, according to a study published on Thursday (1) by the Association for the Development of Industry in the Mezzogiorno (Svimez), the name given to the south-central region of the country.
The Svimez Report found that more than 2 million people left the area between 2002 and 2017. The majority of emigrants, around 50,4%, are young, with 33% of them having an academic background.
In 2017 alone, 132 thousand people left the central-southern region of Italy, leaving a negative internal migration balance of 70 thousand. “Emigration flows are the true southern emergency,” said the study.
The report also highlighted that the difference between the economic recovery in the European Union and in Italy has increased, further accentuating the inequality between the north and south of the country. “Signs of a slowdown in the European economy in the first half of 2018 reduced growth forecasts for the entire region. However, Italy is experiencing a slowdown that widens the gap with the European average. We are the only country, besides Greece, that has not yet returned to pre-crisis levels”, criticized the Svimez Report. “If Italy slows down, the south suffers an even greater slowdown.”
Exodus causes tragedy in public services
The weakening of public policies in the South and the loss of qualified labor has a significant impact on the quality of services provided to citizens.
The gap in services is mainly due to lower quantity and quality of social infrastructure and covers fundamental rights of citizenship in terms of security, adequate standards of education and health services.
Nothealth sector, for example, there is already a deficit in the supply of hospital beds. While in the north there are 33,7 hospital beds for every 10 thousand inhabitants, in the south, the number drops to 28,2.
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