No longer just “emigration” or a “brain drain,” but a complex set of movements that tell the story of a multifaceted Italy – one that moves abroad and comes back, that exists both within and beyond its borders. The Italy portrayed in the 20th Italians in the World Report by Fondazione Migrantes is no longer a country that’s “fleeing,” but one that’s redefining itself through connections, networks, and transnational communities.
Over the past two decades, international mobility has become a defining feature of Italy’s social fabric. Leaving the country is no longer an occasional occurrence, but a steady and complex flow involving people of different ages, education levels, and career paths. At the same time, returns to Italy have remained a constant presence, revealing a pattern of circular migration – people leave, come back, and sometimes leave again.
In twenty years, roughly 1.6 million Italians have moved abroad, while about 826,000 have returned, leaving a net migration balance of more than 800,000 citizens. This long story of mobility can be divided into five distinct phases.
The first, from 2006 to 2010, came before the global financial crisis. Migration levels were moderate and balanced, with around 40,000 departures and 33,000 returns each year. The result was a net outflow of just 37,000 Italians. The second phase, from 2011 to 2014, marked a turning point: departures rose sharply from 50,000 to nearly 90,000 per year, while returns remained stable around 30,000. The gap widened dramatically, with 2014 recording a negative balance of 60,000 – a loss of 170,000 Italians in four years.
Between 2015 and 2019, migration reached record levels. Departures averaged 114,000 a year, but returns also increased to 45,000. The net loss decreased slightly, from 72,000 in 2015 to 54,000 in 2019. Then came the pandemic years, from 2020 to 2022. Despite severe travel restrictions, more than 315,000 Italians officially registered abroad, partly due to Brexit, as many in the UK rushed to secure their residency status. Meanwhile, over 200,000 moved back to Italy, driven by health uncertainties and favorable tax rules for returnees. The migration balance during this period was relatively small – a loss of 110,000, with 2021 marking the peak of returns.
The most recent phase, from 2023 to 2024, shows yet another surge in departures. In 2023, 114,000 Italians left and 61,000 came back, while in 2024 the number of people moving abroad jumped by more than 36 percent. Returns dropped sharply, pushing the net loss to more than 100,000 – the highest in twenty years.
Europe remains the main destination for Italians abroad. Since 2006, about three-quarters of all departures – nearly 1.25 million people – have been within the continent, and most returns have come from there as well. The European Union, including the UK for consistency, accounts for almost half of all departures and more than one-third of returns. The imbalance is striking: over half of the total migration deficit originates within the EU, showing that most Italians are moving inside Europe’s free movement area rather than across oceans.
Beyond Europe, traditional destinations like North America and Oceania continue to attract Italians, though in smaller numbers. About 100,000 have moved to the United States and Canada, while just over half that number have returned. In Australia and New Zealand, departures and returns are fewer still. Asia shows near balance, while Africa – though a smaller destination – has a slight surplus of returnees, suggesting a circular pattern often linked to cooperation or business projects. Latin America tells a different story: flows in both directions are high, and the balance is slightly positive. This reflects not only new migrants but also many descendants of Italian immigrants who have recently gained citizenship.
Regionally, mobility varies widely. Lombardy alone accounts for one-fifth of the total migration deficit, followed by Veneto, Sicily, Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont. Three distinct patterns emerge: highly mobile regions with strong two-way flows like Lombardy, northeastern regions with a strong tendency to leave, and southern regions where returns are significant but not enough to offset emigration.
As of January 2025, more than 6.4 million Italians are officially registered abroad. Compared to Italy’s total population of roughly 59 million, that means almost one in eight Italians now lives outside the country. The growth of the Italian population abroad has been remarkable – up more than 100 percent since 2006. In fact, the number of Italians overseas now exceeds the number of foreign residents in Italy by about one million.
Women represent nearly half of Italians abroad, and their numbers have grown faster than men’s. About one-fifth of those registered are over 65, while almost 15 percent are minors. The working-age population is evenly spread among those under 35, between 35 and 49, and between 50 and 64. These figures reveal a diverse, dynamic community – one that includes professionals, families, and retirees, each with distinct needs but strong ties to Italy.
Over half of all registered Italians abroad live in Europe, and more than 40 percent are in the Americas, with the vast majority in South and Central America rather than North America. The South of Italy remains the main area of origin, with Sicily leading as the region with the largest number of citizens abroad, followed by Lombardy and Veneto.
