Despite expanding in recent years, the health insurance sector remains marginal in Italy, due to the fact that healthcare is free. However, inefficiency and long waiting times in the public health system led to an increase in popularity of the private sector and, hence, health insurance schemes. As data show, health insurance density in Italy increased from ** euros per capita in 2004 to ** euros per capita in 2020. Insurance density is used as an indicator for the development of insurance within a country and is calculated as the ratio of total insurance premiums to the whole population of a given country.

The health insurance sector remains marginal in Italy, due to the fact that healthcare is free in the country. However, inefficiency and long waiting times in the public health system led to an increase in popularity of the private sector and, hence, health insurance schemes. As data show, health insurance penetration remains low in Italy and reached **** percent in 2020.
Insurance penetration is defined as insurance premiums as a percentage of GDP, and is deemed the standard measure to check the development of a country's insurance market.