It is not an aging Italy that is growing across the border, but a young Italy that is leaving. With an average age under 33, expatriates (156 thousand, +36.5% on 2023) push the number of Italian residents abroad to 6 million and 342 thousand residents, an all-time high. The effect of also contributes to inflating the figures sanctions for failure to register with AIRE (Italian Registry of Residents Abroad)which transformed an administrative obligation into a statistical accelerator.
With Law no. 213 of 30 December 2023, in fact, are foreseen fines from €200 to €1000 for Italian citizens who stay abroad for over 12 months without fulfilling the obligation to register in the AIRE registers.
Italians living abroad follow the historical routes of Italian emigration, with South America and Europe leading the way. The country where the highest presence of Italians is recorded is Argentina with 804,261 members, followed by Germany (723,691) and Switzerland (606,949). While in Argentina the majority of the population has registered with AIRE by birthright, Germany is the preferred country for expatriations. Switzerland and France follow for Europe. In fact, 50% of members reside in the European Union and there are new growing destinations such as Spain, where expatriations have increased by 13% in just one year.
Departures of Italians in the last year: where to
In the last year they left Italy 123,376 citizensconfirming a migratory flow that favors Europe as the main destination. The 73.7% of departures in fact, its destination is the Old Continent, while America collects 17.2% of the flows and Asia, Oceania and Africa share the remaining 9.1%.
Germany continues to be the preferred country for expatriation but, as we said earlier, some countries like Spain they are starting to become very popular destinations. This year, more than 12 thousand people moved with an equal percentage of women and men, unlike other countries such as Germany itself or Switzerland where the male percentage is more significant.
A note should be dedicated to United Arab Emiratesa destination not historically relevant for Italian emigration, but which for some years has been carving out a space for itself on the map of Italians abroad. This year there were almost a thousand departures, around 1% of the total, but it has been constantly increasing since 2017. With the share of total residents in 2024 it exceeds 15 thousand people.
Italian emigration: a phenomenon that affects the national territory differently
If you look at the number of AIRE members per thousand inhabitants, the territorial differences become evident: it is above all the smaller provinces of the South and inland areas that are leaving en masse. Enna is the extreme case, with 541 residents abroad per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Agrigento. The trend is also confirmed in territories such as Potenza (373), Vibo Valentia (364) and Campobasso (330): it is the deep, mountainous and peripheral South that is emptying most quickly, often of those with the most skills to spend.
On the contrary, the large cities of the North seem to bear the brunt: in Milan there are just 58 AIRE residents per thousand inhabitants, in Bologna 54, in Prato 33. Even the historic industrial provinces of Lombardy and Venetodespite high absolute numbers of emigrants, maintain low rates thanks to a larger and more stable local population. It is a case in itself Rome: with over 400 thousand AIRE members, it is the province with the most emigrants in absolute terms, but the rate stops at 95 per thousand, a sign that large cities also participate in the phenomenon, but in a less drastic way than marginal areas.
The map of the countries where the most Italians live: how many and where they are
The global geography of Italians abroad follows the departures of 2024. More than half of the residents are concentrated in Europewhere 54% of the total resides. Soon after he comes Americawhich includes just over 40% of Italians abroad. More marginal, but growing, are the presences in Oceania (172 thousand residents) and in Asia (82 thousand), where work-related migrations and a strong male component prevail.
The two countries hosting the largest communities remain Argentina (almost 987 thousand residents) e Germany (847 thousand), legacy of different but still decisive waves of migration in defining the profile of the Italian presence in the world. Immediately after we have the Brazil (671 thousand), Swiss (654 thousand) e France (483 thousand), while the United Kingdomwith around 480 thousand Italians, continues to be one of the main destinations of the most recent migrations. In Europe both freedom of movement and geographical proximity have an impact, favoring rapid and often reversible movements; in the Americas, however, the Italian presence is largely linked to the transmission of citizenship by descent, with very deep-rooted but on average older historical communities.
However, there are new geographies that are emerging: we have collected data from 2017 (the first available that AIRE releases) and compared them with 2024. A picture emerges with some great innovations: taking the countries with the greatest presence of Italians, those with more than 10,000 citizens, the most significant increases were in Portugal (291%), Ireland (127%), Denmark (121%) and Spain (90%).
The ranking of foreign cities with the most Italians
The top of the ranking remains firmly occupied by London, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, which alone concentrate a very large share of Italians living abroad. But, once past the podium, the ranking tells of two less obvious dynamics: the growing weight of female component it is one of the most marked changes compared to 2022. Women are more numerous especially in the large cities of Latin America – such as Buenos Aires, Rosario, La Plata and Curitiba – where the Italian communities are more stabilized and less linked to temporary migrations of work. In Europe, however, the ratio between men and women is generally more balanced, even if cities like Barcelona show a slight female prevalence.
Looking at the most significant changes in the last year, the increases of Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Londonbut also the growth recorded in European cities such as Madrid, Brussels and Basel. In the case of South American cities, however, part of these increases – as well as the gender rebalancing – must also be read in light of the effect of sanctions for failure to register with AIREwhich have pushed many long-term residents to regularize their position. More than a new wave of migration, in many cases it is therefore a statistical emergence, which finally makes communities already present for years visible and updates their demographic picture.
Why it is important to register with AIRE and communicate where you are: the role of the “Where we are in the world” site
Registering with AIRE is not only an administrative obligation, but an act of civil responsibility. For those who live abroad for more than 12 months, reporting your change of residence allows the Italian State to offer adequate protection and services, from vote abroad to consular assistance, up to protection in emergency situations such as conflicts, natural disasters or pandemics. And precisely for these situations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a simple but crucial tool available: the “Where we are in the world” portal, which allows you to report your presence abroad in real time, even temporarily. It is useful for those who travel or move often, and can make the difference in the event of evacuations or security interventions. Reporting on the portal does not mean being tracked, but being found when you really need it.
