MigrantoItalian Diaspora
2.9M Italians live abroad — 5% of the population of Italy
Italian diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 39% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Germany | 436759 |
| USA | 360987 |
| United Kingdom | 342143 |
| France | 303685 |
| Switzerland | 273822 |
| Canada | 183368 |
| Spain | 167387 |
| Australia | 151684 |
| Belgium | 116143 |
| Romania | 87680 |
| Argentina | 53584 |
| Netherlands | 48307 |
| Venezuela | 45934 |
| Brazil | 39836 |
| Austria | 38913 |
| Poland | 24380 |
| Luxembourg | 21807 |
| Ireland | 17508 |
| Sweden | 16955 |
| Denmark | 13051 |
| Uruguay | 11274 |
| Malta | 8204 |
| Albania | 7928 |
| Libya | 7548 |
| Mexico | 7359 |
| Hungary | 7298 |
| Greece | 6826 |
| Peru | 6538 |
| Israel | 6174 |
| Monaco | 6091 |
| Czech Republic | 5867 |
| Norway | 5604 |
| Bulgaria | 5492 |
| Japan | 5245 |
| Sri Lanka | 5226 |
| Slovenia | 5114 |
| San Marino | 5000 |
| Ecuador | 4800 |
| Dominican Republic | 4719 |
| China | 4682 |
| Egypt | 4458 |
| Chile | 4352 |
| Slovakia | 4259 |
| South Africa | 4255 |
| Finland | 3558 |
| Portugal | 3516 |
| Colombia | 3511 |
| New Zealand | 3256 |
| Costa Rica | 3087 |
| Serbia | 2983 |
| Croatia | 2813 |
| Moldova | 2567 |
| Tunisia | 2464 |
| Panama | 2421 |
| Morocco | 2219 |
| Russia | 2099 |
| Bolivia | 1773 |
| Estonia | 1275 |
| Haiti | 1255 |
| Paraguay | 1010 |
| Liechtenstein | 921 |
| Namibia | 915 |
| Iceland | 793 |
| Algeria | 751 |
| Hong Kong | 692 |
| Lithuania | 677 |
| Cameroon | 655 |
| Botswana | 575 |
| Tanzania | 555 |
| Andorra | 523 |
| Taiwan | 522 |
| Cyprus | 506 |
| Cape Verde | 450 |
| Guatemala | 433 |
| Guadeloupe | 328 |
| Ghana | 302 |
| Latvia | 302 |
| New Caledonia | 291 |
| El Salvador | 289 |
| Honduras | 270 |
| Cuba | 263 |
| Montenegro | 206 |
| Nicaragua | 205 |
| French Guiana | 197 |
| Maldives | 190 |
| Bahamas | 178 |
| French Polynesia | 148 |
| Mauritius | 147 |
| Seychelles | 125 |
| Cayman Islands | 110 |
| Bermuda | 110 |
| Bosnia | 100 |
| Martinique | 92 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 76 |
| Central African Republic | 75 |
| Guinea | 75 |
| Puerto Rico | 74 |
| Mauritania | 62 |
| Curaçao | 38 |
| North Macedonia | 36 |
| Liberia | 35 |
| Mongolia | 22 |
| Belarus | 22 |
| Georgia | 16 |
| Cambodia | 15 |
| Bhutan | 12 |
| Saint Lucia | 12 |
By region
68% of the diaspora lives in Europe
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Key facts
The Italian diaspora in numbers
The community in Romania is growing fastest
The number of Italians living in Romania has grown 160% since 2015, from 33.7K to 87.7K.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
5 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Romania, Poland, Ireland. Romania climbed from outside the top 20 to #10.
The share of the diaspora living in Europe has grown since 1990
44.2% of the diaspora lived in Europe in 1990, compared with 67.9% today.
Italian diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 3354372 |
| 1995 | 3154012 |
| 2000 | 2998648 |
| 2005 | 2751018 |
| 2010 | 2666862 |
| 2015 | 2756727 |
| 2020 | 2886481 |
| 2024 | 2941444 |
Largest communities over time
Italians living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | Germany | USA | United Kingdom | France | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 354483 | 697267 | 89882 | 507447 | 266625 |
| 1995 | 385002 | 628114 | 97552 | 449474 | 257127 |
| 2000 | 416103 | 573020 | 105774 | 401918 | 249113 |
| 2005 | 357276 | 449642 | 120428 | 373623 | 250428 |
| 2010 | 336507 | 447401 | 138174 | 340016 | 243157 |
| 2015 | 390678 | 424505 | 193121 | 323277 | 260982 |
| 2020 | 439709 | 389417 | 279194 | 318801 | 269298 |
| 2024 | 436759 | 360987 | 342143 | 303685 | 273822 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Italians in each country has changed since the selected year
Italians among immigrants in other countries
Where Italians make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Italians live outside Italy?
Around 2.9M Italians live abroad, the world's #27 largest diaspora.
Where do most Italians abroad live?
Most Italians live in Germany, USA and United Kingdom — these three countries account for about 39% of all Italians living abroad.
Which country has the largest Italian population outside Italy?
Germany is home to the largest Italian community abroad — 436.8K people, about 15% of all Italians living abroad.
What share of the population of Italy lives abroad?
About 5% of the population of Italy lives abroad — that's 2.9M out of a total population of 59M.
Is the Italian diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Italians living abroad has grown from 2.8M to 2.9M, about 7%.
Where does the data on the Italian diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Italy who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in Italy
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