Romanians make up over 20% of foreign residents in Italy

Romanians are the most numerous group of immigrants in Italy, making up 20.8% of foreign-born residents.

Italy’s foreign-born population is on the rise again since the pandemic. Over 5 million foreigners had the right to legally reside in the country at the beginning of the year, most of them in Lombardy, Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, and Tuscany.

The findings are part of the 31st report on immigration from the Caritas Italiana Association and Fondazione Migrantes cited by G4Media. The report also mentions a considerable rise in the number of work permits and long-stay visas.

Romanians are followed by Albanians (8.4%), Moroccans (8.3%), Chinese (6.4%), and Ukrainians (4.6%).

Romanians also make up the largest group of students with non-Italian citizenship in Italy. Their distribution closely follows the abovementioned one, suggesting the long-term presence of whole families.

Most Romanians who emigrated to Italy chose to stay there during the pandemic, counting on the government’s support, according to a paper published earlier this year. The lack of employment opportunities or savings forced others to return home.

(Photo source: Zilli Roberto | Dreamstime.com)