In Italy 18.9% at risk poverty, lowest level since 2010

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 20 - The proportion of the Italian population at risk of poverty was 18.9 % in 2023, a drop of 1.2 percentage points on 2022 and the lowest level since it was 18.7 % in 2010, according to Eurostat data.
    This was still well above the EU average of 16.2%.
    The risk-of-poverty threshold regards people who earn less than 60% of the national median disposable income.
    Eurostat said that, in absolute terms, 11.12 million people were at risk of poverty in Italy in 2023, a fall of 676,000 with respect to the previous year.
    Italy's drop in the risk-of-poverty rate coincided with an increase of 1.5% in the number of people aged between 20 and 64 who were in employment last year with respect to 2022, according to the EU's Key Figures on Europe report.
    It added, however, that the employment rate for this age range in Italy, 66.3%, was still significantly below the EU average of 75.3%.
    The report also said that Italy had the second-lowest gender-pay gap in the EU after Luxembourg, with a 4.3% difference between the average earnings of men and women, while the EU average was 12.7%. (ANSA).