From January to December 2024, around 66,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of migrants setting foot in the country peaked in 2016 at 181,000 individuals, whereas in 2019 only 11,400 people were rescued from the sea. In fact, stricter immigration policies were enacted between 2018 and 2019 by the right-wing and populist government supported by the League and the Five-Star Movement. Among the most frequent countries of origin declared upon arrivals in 2024, Bangladesh and Syria ranked in the first places. About 13,800 were Bangladeshi citizens, while around 12,500 immigrants came from Syria. Asylum seekers and minors among the migrants In 2023, the largest number of asylum applicants in Italy were from Bangladesh. In fact, 23,450 requests were recorded as of December 2023, while 18,300 applicants were from Egypt, the second most common nationality among asylum seekers. In recent years, many unaccompanied minors reached the Italian coasts. In 2024, 8,043 children migrated without their parents into the country. Contrasting opinions and distorted perceptions  According to the data published by Ipsos, a part of Italians tend to overestimate the size of the immigrated population. The results of this survey uncovered the presence of distorted perceptions in 2018: people thought that about 28 percent of the Italian population was not born in Italy, whereas the actual percentage was around ten. Furthermore, the public opinion on migration was controversial. In the same year, roughly half of the population perceived migrants as a risk for the Italian economy. On the other hand, 18 percent of Italians believed that migration could be a resource for the country.

In 2024, 13,779 immigrants who reached Italy came from Bangladesh. Moreover, around 12,500 migrants were from Syria, whereas 7,700 people originated from Tunisia. These three nationalities constituted more than half of the total individuals arrived. Mediterranean routes to Europe The Mediterranean Sea recorded the largest number of deaths and missing cases of migrants worldwide. The Mediterranean Route leading to Italy is known as the Central Mediterranean Route, which counts the highest number of fatalities among the different Mediterranean routes. This route includes the crossing from North Africa to Italy, as well as to Malta. The main departing country is Libya, while Tunisia, Egypt, and East Algeria are minor departing shores. After the Central Mediterranean Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea registered the second-highest number of deaths and missing people. The Eastern Mediterranean route includes migration flows from Türkiye to Greece and Cyprus. Main countries of arrival Between January and October 2024, Italy was the European country registering the largest number of migrants' arrivals. All the 55,000 immigrants reached the country by sea. Spain was the second country of first arrival in Europe, followed by Greece. The overall number of migrants who set foot on Italian shores expanded in the last years. However, the death and missing cases did not drop proportionally to the number of people who reached the coast.

As of December 2024, Lombardy was the region in Italy hosting the largest share of immigrants, followed by Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, and Piedmont. Lombardy is the region with the highest number of inhabitants in the country. The north Italian region has ten million residents, around one sixth of the total national population, and was housing 18,200 immigrants. The Mediterranean route to Europe  In 2020, 955 migrants died or went missing in the Italian Central Mediterranean Sea in the attempt to reach Europe. In 2024, 66,317 people arrived at the Italian shores, 91,300 individuals less compared to 2023. Death and missing cases still represent a serious hazard for the people who want to reach Italy from North Africa. Racism on the rise in Italy Race-related violence is strictly correlated with immigration. According to 2020 data, the cases of racial physical violence increased, in particular between 2016 and 2018. Over these three years, the cases of body violence ranged from 24 to 127 attacks. Similarly, insults, threats, and harassment became more widespread. Between 2017 and 2019, the cases grew from 88 to 206, while only in the first three months of 2020 there were 53 episodes of racist insults, threats, and harassment.

Between January and November 2021, 59.7 thousand migrants arrived in Italy by sea. August recorded the highest number of arrivals. During 2020, instead, the number of migrants who stepped foot in Italy peaked in July at 7.1 thousand people. The largest number of people migrating to Italy weas registered in the years 2016 and 2017. In October 2016, 27.4 thousand individuals reached the Italian coasts by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the highest monthly figure recorded in the past four years.

The main ports of arrivals  

In 2018, the main port where migrants arrived was Pozzallo, a city in Sicily, in the South of Italy. Pozzallo is in the province of Ragusa, located directly on the Mediterranean Sea. The number of migrants who set foot in Pozzallo in 2018 amounted to 3.8 thousand people. In that year, the Island of Lampedusa was the second most important harbor for the arrivals. Almost 3.5 thousand migrants arrived on this Sicilian island. Lampedusa is only about 113 kilometers (70 miles) away from Tunisia and represents an important entry port for the whole of Europe.

Asylum applications mostly denied 

In 2020, a total of 27 thousand asylum applications were registered in Italy. However, data on the examined requests show that asylum was denied in most of the cases. As a matter of fact, in 76 percent of the cases examined over 2020, applicants were not given the asylum status. Only 11 percent of migrants received the refugee status during that year, whilst another 11 percent of people were assigned a subsidiary protection.

As of 2024, Romanians were Italy's largest foreign population, with over one million Romanians living in Italy during the period considered. Albania and Morocco followed with 416,000 and 412,000 people, respectively. From a regional perspective, the Northern regions had the largest foreign population. Lombardy had some 1.1 million foreign residents, the largest in the country.

Between January and August 2021, the immigration numbers in Italy were largely influenced by citizens from Africa. Tunisia represented the most frequent origin country declared upon arrival, while Egypt and Ivory Coast occupied the third and fourth positions in this ranking. During the first eight months of 2021, 11 thousand Tunisians arrived on the Italian shores, while the number of people from Bangladesh amounted to 5.3 thousand.

Nationality of asylum seekers  

In October 2020, 792 asylum applicants in Italy came were from Pakistan. Pakistani represented the most frequent nationality of asylum seekers according to the requests processed in that month. Nigerian was the second most common nationality, with 501 requests made in October 2020. In the same month, 471 examined asylum applications were made by Bangladeshis. Bangladesh is among the most frequent places of origins declared upon arrival in Italy.

Unaccompanied and separated children

In 2019, 659 unaccompanied and separated children arrived in Italy to seek for asylum. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of asylum applications from unaccompanied children peaked in 2017 at 9.8 thousand. The largest percentage of unaccompanied and separated children who arrived in Italy by sea were from Sudan. Separated children are children separated from both their parents, for instance due to conflicts or other disasters. Unaccompanied children are infants separated from both parents or other relatives, which are by law responsible for taking care of them.

In 2023, Italy counted almost 195,000 people illegally present on the national territory. Specifically, 190,000 people were charged for entering the country without valid documents. In Europe, the largest number of illegal migrants was found in Germany, with Italy ranking at the second place. The same year, 3490 asylum requests submitted to the Italian authorities were denied.

In 2023, the biggest communities of foreign nationals in Italy were in Milan, Bologna, Florence, Turin, Rome, and Genoa, where more than ten percent of the inhabitants were not of Italian origin. These cities are mostly located in the north of the country. On the contrary, in the southern municipalities of Bari, Catania, and Palermo the incidence of the immigrant population is minimal, well below **** percent. Italian demographics In 2024, beyond **** million foreign residents lived in Italy, compared to the total population of ** million inhabitants. Projections assert that in the upcoming years, the number of Italian citizens will progressively decrease, mostly given to the aging population and low birth rates. In fact, it has been predicted that the median age could reach **** years by 2050, whereas the country experienced a constant decline in the number of births. In 2010, almost ******* babies came into life, but ten years later only ******* births were recorded. The divide between north and south From the distribution of immigrant residents, there is an evident separation between the northern Italian regions and the southern part of the country, making those territories less attractive for foreigners in terms of work opportunities. Analysis on the index of the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2005, in 2015 and 2025 reveal that the total wealth produced by the southern region represents only half of the one recorded in the north. Moreover, in 2023 the unemployment rate in northern regions was around **** percent, whereas in the south it reached ** percent.

As of 2023, ** percent of Italians believed that immigrants constitute a threat to public order and safety. Moreover, for one third of the respondents, immigrants could endanger national culture and identity. For around ** percent of the interviewees, they were a danger to employment, too. Over the years, the share of Italians stating that immigrants pose a threat to public safety increased.

Bangladesh and Syria were the most frequent countries of origin declared upon arrival in Italy between January and December 2024. Tunisians represented twelve percent of the migrants who reached the Italian shores, recording the third-highest figure. In 2024, the total number of migrants arrived in Italy by sea added up to 66,300.

This statistic illustrates the distribution by age group of immigrants who arrived in Italy in 2015. According to the study, nearly one in five immigrants (**** percent) were between ** and ** of age, while ** percent were between ** and ** of age. Immigrants between the ages of ** and ** made up nearly half (** percent) of the total number of incomers in 2015.

As of November 2021, Lombardy, in Northern Italy, was the region hosting the highest number of immigrants in reception centers, roughly eight thousand individuals, followed by Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont. Reception centers host migrants who arrived in Italy irregularly whose stay in the country is still uncertain.

Many asylum seekers and minors reach Italy by sea. Data from 2020 show that the largest number of asylum applicants in Italy were from Pakistan. Also, many unaccompanied minors reached the Italian coasts in the last years. In 2018, Sudan recorded the largest percentage of unaccompanied and separated children who arrived in Italy by sea.

As of September 2023, 141,107 migrants were housed in different types of reception centers in Italy. Reception centers include facilities for beneficiaries of international protection as well as for unaccompanied minors, accommodation centers, and hotspot facilities. In the same period, the Italian region that hosted the highest number of immigrants in its reception centers was Lombardy.

The journey before the reception centers 

In 2021, roughly 45 thousand immigrants arrived by sea in Italy. In the previous year, 34 thousand people reached the Italian shores by sea, one of the lowest amounts registered in the last years. This figure was significantly lower than the peak in arrivals registered in 2016, when as many as 180 thousand people reached Italy through the Mediterranean Sea. The impressive difference in numbers reflected a strong change in immigration policies enforced by the new Italian government in 2018.

Asylum requests

Most of the migrants housed in reception centers are waiting to be granted permission to stay in the country by the Italian government. In 2019, more than 12 thousand immigrants saw their asylum applications accepted. On the other hand, almost 23 thousand applications were rejected in the same year. Among those who were granted asylum, and thus received refugee status, the most represented country was Nigeria, followed by Pakistan.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the United States was one of the main destinations for Italian emigrants. The largest number of people leaving Italy for the U.S. was registered in **********************************************, particularly in ****, before a sharp decline occurred in 1914 due to the First World War.Nowadays, the U.S. is still one of the main destinations for Italians. More specifically, as of January 2021, *** percent of all Italians moving abroad over the last year went to the United States.

In 2025, Italy's foreign population was 5.4 million individuals. Compared to the previous year, it increased by around 169,000 people. While the Italian population is progressively aging and shrinking, the number of immigrants residing in the country has been constantly raising since 2010.

Between 2014 and 2020, the majority of foreigners living in Italy held a middle school diploma as their highest educational achievement. Over the years, the share of the foreign-born population with an university degree remained quite stable. As of 2020, around **** percent of the foreigners in Italy held an high school diploma, and **** percent of them had a university degree. The corresponding figures for Italian citizens were **** percent and **** percent, highlighting the education gap between the foreign and the native population.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Brazil was one of the most common destinations for Italian immigrants. At the end of the nineteenth century, the number of Italians who emigrated to Brazil peaked, particularly in ****, where ***** thousand people moved to the South American country. During the First World War, emigration to Brazil declined, reaching its lowest value in 1918 with just *** migrants; however, it did subsequently increase again after the war, although not to its pre-war levels. As of 2018, Brazil hosted the fourth largest Italian population outside of Italy, with over ************** Italians residing in the South American country.

In 2025, the European country registering the largest number of migrants' arrivals was Italy. As of June 2025, 27,000 immigrants reached the Italian peninsula by sea. Spain had the second-largest number of arrivals by sea, 16,400 immigrants, both from the Wester Mediterranean route and the Wester African Atlantic route.

The statistic shows the general opinion on migrants coming to Italy in 2017. According to the survey, around ** percent of Italians believed that Italy should only accept refugees and reject instead those who migrate for economic reasons. The number of migrants reaching italy peaked in 2016 with over **** thousand individuals landing on Italian coasts.

According to the results of a survey conducted in December 2019, 51 percent of respondents in Italy perceived immigration as a current issue, but not the most urgent one. In fact, only 29 percent believed that immigration was one of the most relevant problems in Italy.

In 2019, 11.5 thousand migrants arrived on the coasts in Italy, about 12 thousand people less compared to 2018. In 2020, 34 thousand migrants arrived in Italy by sea.