Around ten percent

More and more Italians are living below the poverty line

Italians chat on the street in Bari.(Bild: AFP/Piero CRUCIATTI)

Beautiful scenery, world-famous cuisine and ever poorer: a new study shows that 5.7 million people, around a tenth of the Italian population, live in absolute poverty. 

This is according to a report published on Tuesday by the Catholic charity Caritas on the subject of poverty and social exclusion. "The analysis of the data testifies that underpaid and temporary work is widespread, with low wages and insecure employment contracts that prevent a dignified life," the study states.

Families particularly affected
Young people and families with children are among the most vulnerable groups. The study particularly emphasizes that the housing situation represents a hardship in this context, as vulnerable families run the risk of living without a home or in inadequate housing conditions.

Access to education and new technologies has also become difficult for many. This situation creates great social inequality, Caritas emphasized.

According to the report, the number of people turning to Caritas for financial help has also risen sharply. These are homeless people and illegal migrants, but also unemployed fathers and young people.