The number of Italians at risk of poverty has risen by more than 3 million since 2008, according to the Eurostat statistics agency, the largest increase seen in any EU nation. By contrast, 3.3 million Poles pulled clear of the poverty threshold.
The number of Italians living in absolute poverty, defined as not having enough money to buy a basket of basic goods and services, rose to 4.7 million in 2016, according to the latest data from statistics office Istat, a three-fold increase in a decade.
“The rise in absolute poverty is a very Italian problem and the numbers are still growing despite the fact the economy has picked up,” said Roberto Perotti, an economist with Bocconi university and a former government adviser.
Gulf News, Reuters
