Recent statistics from Istat, the Italian national statistics institute, show that people with immigrant backgrounds account for a significant portion of the country’s absolute poverty. At the same time, poverty levels are declining among households where both parents are Italian.
The figures have once again fueled the debate about the socioeconomic consequences of mass immigration.
The statistics show that more than one-third of immigrants, 35.6 percent, live below the poverty line – a level that is five times higher than among the Italian population.
Maurizio Belpietro, editor-in-chief of the Italian daily newspaper La Verità and an influential political commentator, has written a widely discussed column in which he argues that Italy is effectively “importing poverty”.
Belpietro highlights that while non-EU citizens make up less than one-tenth of the population, they nevertheless represent just over one-third of all those living in poverty.
“Of the 2.2 million households living in poverty, i.e., do not have enough income to support a minimum standard of living, 1.5 million are Italian and 733,000 are foreigners”, he writes in the newspaper.
Poverty among mixed families
Among families where one parent is Italian and the other is foreign-born, the poverty rate is 30.4 percent, according to Istat. By comparison, families where both parents are Italian citizens have a poverty rate of 6.2 percent.
Political commentator Francesca Totolo has commented on the figures on X and questions the notion that labor immigration benefits the pension system.
“It is and will be Italians who have to pay for assistance, subsidies, housing, and pensions to foreigners without resources”, she writes.
No, gli immigrati non pagano le pensione agli italiani.
Il tasso della povertà assoluta
fra le famiglie di soli stranieri è pari al 35,2%
fra le famiglie di soli italiani è pari al 6,2%
Ciò significa che sono e saranno gli italiani a dover pagare assistenza, sussidi,… pic.twitter.com/MqxL8XnN5K
— Francesca Totolo (@fratotolo2) October 15, 2025
Large differences between immigrant groups
The debate about immigration’s economic effects is also ongoing in other European countries. The argument that large-scale immigration would be the solution to pension system challenges has increasingly been questioned as research data is presented.
However, there are significant differences between different immigrant groups. EU citizens, particularly from certain member states, often contribute positively to the economy and tax revenues, while the pattern looks different for citizens from countries outside the union.
A Dutch study showed that migration had cost the state approximately €400 billion during the period 1995-2019, and in Germany, the annual costs of mass immigration are estimated at at least €50 billion.
At the same time, analysts emphasize that calculations of migration’s economic costs often underestimate the actual expenses, which in reality tend to be significantly higher than the forecasts.
“Costs more than it brings in”
French researcher and author Jean-Paul Gourévitch stated in a radio interview with Radio Sud in 2021 that employment figures do not support the picture that immigration to France provides net economic gains.
— I have studied this topic extensively and today everyone in France, from the left to the right agrees that immigration costs more than it brings in, Gourévitch explained.
He pointed out that economists with different political backgrounds estimate the costs differently. Left-leaning analysts indicate an annual deficit of €6 to €10 billion, while right-leaning ones point to figures between €40 and €44 billion.
— My own scientific research shows that the deficit is €20 to €25 billion, he said in the interview.
