The northern regions had the highest amount of Gross Domestic Product per capita in the whole country in 2023. In fact, this indicator stood at around ****** euros per inhabitant. In southern Italy, instead, the GDP per resident was about ****** euros, almost the half compared to the one recorded in the north. These figures well highlight the deep economic divide that Italy has been constantly facing between the northern regions, more industrialized and more densely populated, and the south, economically disadvantaged and with a profoundly negative internal migration rate.

In 2022, the Gross domestic product (GDP) in Italy reached roughly 33,000 euros per capita. When analyzed from the regional perspective, the highest GDP per capita can be observed in the Northern areas of the country. Trentino-South Tyrol led the ranking, with a GDP per inhabitant of almost 50,000 euros. Lombardy and Aosta Valley ranked in the second and third place, with a GDP per capita of 44,000 euros and 43,000 euros, respectively. The figure of Trentino-South Tyrol represented more than the double of the GDP per capita of the southern regions of Calabria, Sicily, Campania, Apulia, and Molise, confirming the critical divide between these two areas of the country.Economic performance of a country Gross domestic product per capita is an indicator of economic performance, calculated as a division of the total gross domestic product of a country in a certain period of time by its population. Whereas nominal and real GDP help to understand the economic strength of the country as a whole, per capita values illustrate the standard of living and wellbeing of the citizens. COVID-19 and GDPForecasts published at the end of 2019 estimated that Italy's economy would have experienced a slow growth during 2020. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 significantly changed this scenario. Different estimations on Italy's GDP growth have been published since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the most recent data from 2021 show the GDP decreased by 8.8 percent in 2020. Similarly, a forecast from December 2020 estimated that this figure might decline by 8.9 percent during 2021.

GDP per Capita: Southern Italy data was reported at 18,512.021 EUR in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 18,118.331 EUR for 2016. GDP per Capita: Southern Italy data is updated yearly, averaging 17,469.038 EUR from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2017, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18,512.021 EUR in 2017 and a record low of 11,492.407 EUR in 1995. GDP per Capita: Southern Italy data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.A036: ESA 2010: GDP per Capita: By Region.

The snapshot provided by Prometeia about the economic situation throughout different Italian areas highlights that disparities are a serious issue in the country. Comparing the indexed GDP per capita in 2005, 2015, and 2025 it comes out not only that in the North of Italy the GDP per capita has always been twofold likened to the South, but also that the gap is expected to further increase in 2025. In like manner, in 2018, the Southern regions Campania, Sicily, and Calabria were the ones with the lowest GDP per capita, whereas at the top five of the ranking only Northern Italian regions could be found.

Unemployment rates by macro-region

The situation was not much different pertaining to unemployment. In 2020, the unemployment rate in the North oscillated between 5.6 and six percent, while in the South the rate reached 17.4 percent. Overall, the estimated figures for 2021 and 2022 were not optimistic, given that the unemployment rate was expected to increase throughout Italy. However, the growth was forecasted to be more remarkable in the South than in the rest of the country.

Italian economy 

Undoubtedly, the economic crisis that occurred in Italy in 2008 together with its long-term repercussions contributed to accentuate already existing regional gaps. Currently, Italy is one of Europe’s largest economies. However, in 2018, it also was among the EU countries with the lowest GDP growth. Furthermore, in 2019, Italy was the sixth state with the highest public debt in relation to the gross domestic product worldwide.

Throughout the early 20th century, Italy consistently had the highest GDP per capita in Southern Europe, which grew consistently at each given interval. Portugal was the only other country to see consistent growth between the four given years, whereas the civil wars in Spain (1936-1939) and Greece (1946-1949) saw their respective GDP per capita fall in the corresponding years. Overall, GDP per capita across these four countries grew by just 28 percent between 1913 and 1950, although it did drop in 1938 due to the Spanish Civil War. Southern Europe's GDP per capita in 1950 was just 51 percent of the rate in Western Europe.

Sector: 08. Foster lasting, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Algorithm: Real GDP per capita year(t)-real GDP per capita year(t-1) on real GDP per capita year(t-1) * 100

Phenomenon: Flow

Territorial comparisons: South Tyrol, Veneto. Lombardy, Italy

In 1900, GDP per capita in Southern Europe was just over half of the rate in Western Europe, while it was just 39 percent across Central and Eastern Europe. By 1950, Central and Eastern Europe's GDP per capita had risen to 51 percent of Western Europe's, while Southern Europe's GDP per capita had fallen to 44 percent. Post-war recovery across the south was comparatively slower than the West due to the lack of American investment in the fascist states of Spain and Portugal, the civil war in Greece, and the lack of industrialization in Italy. As these factors reversed or concluded in the 1950s, Southern Europe's economic development fell more in line with that of the rest of Western Europe in this decade, with Italy, in particular, emerging as one of the world's leading economies.

According to data, the GDP per capita in the North-West of the country was the highest among all Italian macro-regions. On the contrary, the southern regions and the islands recorded the lowest GDP per capita.

On average, half of the Italian employees were satisfied with their job in 2023. The largest satisfaction was recorded in Aosta Valley and Trentino-South Tyrol, two autonomous regions with the highest GDP per capita and that range among the ones with the highest average gross salaries nationwide. In contrast, only 40 percent of employees in Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria were satisfied with their jobs.

Although Italy had the largest GDP per capita of the four largest Southern European states, between 1913 and 1950, the highest rates of GDP per capita growth were experienced in Portugal and Greece. Compared with GDP per capita in 1913, Portugal's figure grew consistently between each period, facilitated by the relative peace it experienced during the early 20th century. Greece's GDP per capita grew by 68 percent between 1913 and 1938, however it fell significantly over the 1940s due to the devastation caused by the Second World War and Greek Civil War.

The economic costs of organized crime have been estimated for the case of southern Italy by Pinotti (Economic Journal 2015; 125, F203?F232, 2015): using synthetic control methods, he finds that, due to the advent of the Italian Mafia in the regions Apulia and Basilicata, GDP per capita dropped by 16%. Replicating this study in a narrow sense by estimating the same model with the same data, but using different software implementations, we observe minor differences stemming from the different implementations. By identifying the correct implementation, we find that the loss in GDP per capita due to the presence of the Mafia has been slightly overestimated.

人均国内生产总值：意大利南部在12-01-2017达18,512.021欧元，相较于12-01-2016的18,118.331欧元有所增长。人均国内生产总值：意大利南部数据按年更新，12-01-1995至12-01-2017期间平均值为17,469.038欧元，共23份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2017，达18,512.021欧元，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1995，为11,492.407欧元。CEIC提供的人均国内生产总值：意大利南部数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于Istituto Nazionale di Statistica，数据归类于Global Database的意大利 – 表 IT.A036：2010年欧洲账户体系（ESA 2010）：人均国内生产总值：按地区。

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 five percent. Italian demographics In 2024, beyond five million foreign residents lived in Italy, compared to the total population of 59 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 53.6 years by 2050, whereas the country experienced a constant decline in the number of births. In 2010, almost 550,000 babies came into life, but ten years later only 400,000 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 four percent, whereas in the south it reached 14 percent.

Located in the north of the country, Lombardy had the highest mean gross salary in 2024, while workers in Basilicata earned the lowest average wages nationwide. The figure for Lombardy amounted to ****** euros, around *** euros more than in Lazio, where the capital Rome is situated, as reported by Job Pricing. Trentino-South Tyrol was the region with the second-highest average gross salary, ****** euros per year. The last positions of the raking were occupied by the southern regions, with an average wage of ****** euros. High wages and large pay gap  According to the same source, employees working in banking and financial services had some of the largest salaries in Italy. However, men earned roughly ** percent more than women (****** euros versus ****** euros). Similarly, the annual gross salary in the insurance industry was ** percent higher in favor of men. Low-wage workers The south of Italy was also the place registering the highest percentage of low paid employees. These are employees with an hourly salary of less than ********** of the median salary over the total number of employees. More specifically, in the south and on the islands, the share of low-wage employees was **** and **** percent, respectively. In the northern regions, the share amounted to only *** percent.

The Italian region with the highest number of enterprises is Lombardy, in the north. In 2022, this region counted about 946,000 companies, while Campania, in the south, followed with over 611,000 firms. Milan, the capital city of Lombardy, is the most important financial and industrial center of Italy. The geography of business Despite the big role of Lombardy and Lazio as business centers, a broader picture of the distribution of companies nationwide shows an interesting scenario. According to data on the number of companies broken down by macro-region, most enterprises in Italy are in the South and on the main Islands, Sardinia and Sicily. An explanation behind these numbers might be the high prevalence, together with large companies, of many small businesses and individual entrepreneurship in the Southern regions and on the Islands. Economic upturn for the South Similarly, the growth rate of enterprises in the Southern regions and provinces is showing a promising economic upturn for these regions, which have always been observed economically as the tail-end of the country. In 2020, the province of Caserta, in the Southern region of Campania, ranked first while, Nuoro, in Sardinia, and Lecce, in Apulia, followed. Eventually, the number of enterprises in Naples, in Campania as well, grew by the same growth rate as Milan over the last year.

The statistic shows the national debt of the United States from 2019 to 2022 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP), with projections up until 2029. In 2022, the national debt of the United States was at around 120.03 percent of the gross domestic product. See the US GDP for further information. US finances There has been a dramatic increase in the public debt of the United States since 1990, although the month-to-month change has been quite stable over the last few months. Public debt is defined as the amount of money borrowed by a country to cover budget deficits. A ranking of individual state debt in the United States shows that California is leading by a clear margin, with more than double the amount of runner-up New York. Vermont, North Dakota and South Dakota are the states with the lowest amount of debt. Even before the recession of 2008, the national debt of the United States had been increasing steadily and excessively, and it is predicted to rise even further. Budget cuts and fewer job opportunities as a result of the crisis are taking their toll on the American economy, which is still recovering. Trade figures as well as unemployment are still below average. Subsequently, the national debt and the national debt of the United States per capita have more or less quadrupled since the 1990s. Interestingly, the United States is not even among the top ten of countries with the highest public debt in relation to gross domestic product in international comparison. Japan, Greece and Italy – among others – report far higher figures than the United States.

At 7.99 U.S. dollars, Switzerland has the most expensive Big Macs in the world, according to the January 2025 Big Mac index. Concurrently, the cost of a Big Mac was 5.79 dollars in the U.S., and 5.95 U.S. dollars in the Euro area. What is the Big Mac index? The Big Mac index, published by The Economist, is a novel way of measuring whether the market exchange rates for different countries’ currencies are overvalued or undervalued. It does this by measuring each currency against a common standard – the Big Mac hamburger sold by McDonald’s restaurants all over the world. Twice a year the Economist converts the average national price of a Big Mac into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate at that point in time. As a Big Mac is a completely standardized product across the world, the argument goes that it should have the same relative cost in every country. Differences in the cost of a Big Mac expressed as U.S. dollars therefore reflect differences in the purchasing power of each currency. Is the Big Mac index a good measure of purchasing power parity? Purchasing power parity (PPP) is the idea that items should cost the same in different countries, based on the exchange rate at that time. This relationship does not hold in practice. Factors like tax rates, wage regulations, whether components need to be imported, and the level of market competition all contribute to price variations between countries. The Big Mac index does measure this basic point – that one U.S. dollar can buy more in some countries than others. There are more accurate ways to measure differences in PPP though, which convert a larger range of products into their dollar price. Adjusting for PPP can have a massive effect on how we understand a country’s economy. The country with the largest GDP adjusted for PPP is China, but when looking at the unadjusted GDP of different countries, the U.S. has the largest economy.