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Communications

Broadcast media [time series]

two Italian media giants - the publicly-owned Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) with 3 national terrestrial stations and privately-owned Mediaset with 3 national terrestrial stations - dominate; additional broadcasts by a large number of private stations and Sky Italia - a satellite TV network; RAI operates 3 AM/FM nationwide radio stations; some 1,300 commercial radio stations (2007)

Internet country code [time series]

.it

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

23.16 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 3

Internet users [time series]

29.235 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 13

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables provide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

21.6 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 13

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

82 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 13

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $958.9 billion expenditures: $1.053 trillion (2010 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]

-4.6% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 136

Central bank discount rate [time series]

1.75% (31 December 2010) country comparison to the world: 113 1.75% (31 December 2009) note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

4.032% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 165 4.757% (31 December 2009 est.)

Current account balance [time series]

-$67.94 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 196 -$42.96 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external [time series]

$2.684 trillion (30 June 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 $2.223 trillion (30 June 2010 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

32 (2006) country comparison to the world: 107 27.3 (1995)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with high unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises, many of them family owned. Italy also has a sizable underground economy, which by some estimates accounts for as much as 15% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture, construction, and service sectors. Italy has moved slowly on implementing needed structural reforms, such as reducing graft, overhauling costly entitlement programs, and increasing employment opportunities for young workers, particularly women. The international financial crisis worsened conditions in Italy's labor market, with unemployment rising from 6.2% in 2007 to 8.4% in 2010, but in the longer-term Italy's low fertility rate and quota-driven immigration policies will increasingly strain its economy. A rise in exports and investment driven by the global economic recovery nevertheless helped the economy grow by about 1% in 2010 following a 5% contraction in 2009. The Italian government has struggled to limit government spending, but Italy's exceedingly high public debt remains above 115% of GDP, and its fiscal deficit - just 1.5% of GDP in 2007 - exceeded 5% in 2009 and 4% in 2010, as the costs of servicing the country's debt rose.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

314.5 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

Electricity - exports [time series]

2.121 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports [time series]

44.45 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - production [time series]

269.6 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 14

Exchange rates [time series]

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7715 (2010) 0.7179 (2009) 0.6827 (2008) 0.7345 (2007) 0.7964 (2006)

Exports [time series]

$448.4 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 $407.5 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals

Exports - partners [time series]

Germany 13.2%, France 11.7%, Spain 5.9%, US 5.8%, UK 5.4%, Switzerland 4.6% (2010)

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$2.055 trillion (2010 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$1.774 trillion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 $1.751 trillion (2009 est.) $1.847 trillion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 1.9% industry: 25.3% services: 72.8% (2010 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$30,500 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 43 $30,100 (2009 est.) $31,800 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

1.3% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 163 -5.2% (2009 est.) -1.3% (2008 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 26.8% (2000)

Imports [time series]

$473.1 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 $406 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco

Imports - partners [time series]

Germany 16.2%, France 8.5%, China 7.9%, Netherlands 5.4%, Spain 4.5% (2010)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

6.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 66

Industries [time series]

tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 51 0.8% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

19.4% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 123

Labor force [time series]

24.99 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 25

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: 4.2% industry: 30.7% services: 65.1% (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$318.1 billion (31 December 2010) country comparison to the world: 24 $317.3 billion (31 December 2009) $520.9 billion (31 December 2008)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

82.98 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 10

Natural gas - exports [time series]

139 million cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 45

Natural gas - imports [time series]

75.35 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 4

Natural gas - production [time series]

8.298 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 44

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

63.57 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 60

Oil - consumption [time series]

1.528 million bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 16

Oil - exports [time series]

529,100 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 28

Oil - imports [time series]

1.8 million bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11

Oil - production [time series]

151,800 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 45

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

476.5 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 50

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Public debt [time series]

119.1% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 115.9% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$158.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 16 $132.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money [time series]

$2.065 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 $1.895 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad [time series]

$601.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 12 $578.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]

$403 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 13 $394 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$3.221 trillion (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 $3.084 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)

Stock of narrow money [time series]

$1.205 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 $1.299 trillion (31 December 2009 est.) note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 17 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

Taxes and other revenues [time series]

46.7% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 22

Unemployment rate [time series]

8.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 97 7.8% (2009 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 301,340 sq km country comparison to the world: 72 land: 294,140 sq km water: 7,200 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly larger than Arizona

Climate [time series]

predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Coastline [time series]

7,600 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)

Environment - current issues [time series]

air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]

total: 41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%) per capita: 723 cu m/yr (1998)

Geographic coordinates [time series]

42 50 N, 12 50 E

Geography - note [time series]

strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

Irrigated land [time series]

39,500 sq km (2008)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 1,899.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 26.41% permanent crops: 9.09% other: 64.5% (2005)

Location [time series]

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards [time series]

regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice volcanism: Italy experiences significant volcanic activity; Etna (elev. 3,330 m), which is in eruption as of 2010, is Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to nearby Sicilian villages; Etna, along with the famous Vesuvius, which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the Bay of Naples area, have both been deemed "Decade Volcanoes" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Stromboli, on its namesake island, has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Larderello, Pantelleria, Vulcano, and Vulsini

Natural resources [time series]

coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land

Terrain [time series]

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Total renewable water resources [time series]

175 cu km (2005)

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma) regions: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Toscana (Tuscany), Umbria, Veneto (Venetia) autonomous regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee d'Aoste (French)

Capital [time series]

name: Rome geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution [time series]

passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia former: Kingdom of Italy

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador David THORNE embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 46741 FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006) head of government: Interim Prime Minister Mario MONTI (since 16 November 2011); note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the president of the Council of Ministers cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and nominated by the president (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held on 10 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth round of voting; electoral college vote - 543

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; design inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797; colors are those of Milan (red and white) combined with the green uniform color of the Milanese civic guard note: similar to the flag of Mexico, which is longer, uses darker shades of red and green, and has its coat of arms centered on the white band; Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green

Government type [time series]

republic

Independence [time series]

17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)

International law organization participation [time series]

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation [time series]

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch [time series]

Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts); Supreme Court of Cassation or Corte Suprema di Cassazione

Legal system [time series]

civil law system; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; members to serve five-year terms; and up to 5 senators for life appointed by the president of the Republic) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members to serve five-year terms); note - it has not been clarified if each president has the power to designate up to five senators or if five is the number of senators for life who might sit in the Senate elections: Senate - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2), W. VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118, IdV 3), UdC 3, other 6; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8), W. VELTRONI coalition 246 (PD 217, IdV 29), UdC 36, other 4

National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]

name: "Il Canto degli Italiani" (The Song of the Italians) lyrics/music: Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO note: adopted 1946; the anthem, originally written in 1847, is also known as "L'Inno di Mameli" (Mameli's Hymn), and "Fratelli D'Italia" (Brothers of Italy)

National holiday [time series]

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

National symbol(s) [time series]

white, five-pointed star (Stella d'Italia)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Center-Right coalition: Lega Nord or LN [Umberto BOSSI]; Movement for Autonomy or MpA [Raffaele LOMBARDO]; People of Freedom or PdL [Silvio BERLUSCONI] Center-Left coalition: Democratic Party or PD [Pier Luigi BERSANI]; Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO] other non-allied parties: Future and Liberty Party or FLI [Gianfranco FINI]; Union of the Center or UdC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

manufacturers and merchants associations - Confcommercio; Confindustria; organized farm groups - Confcoltivatori; Confagricoltura; Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations - Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Susanna CAMUSSO] which is left wing; Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNI], which is Roman Catholic centrist; Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)

Introduction

Background [time series]

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 13,865,688 females age 16-49: 14,003,755 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 11,247,446 females age 16-49: 11,348,695 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 288,188 female: 281,671 (2010 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Italian Armed Forces: Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2011)

Military expenditures [time series]

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 82

Military service age and obligation [time series]

18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch; 10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45 (Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)

People and Society

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,315,292/female 4,124,624) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 19,888,901/female 20,330,495) 65 years and over: 20.3% (male 5,248,418/female 7,109,074) (2011 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

9.18 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 207

Death rate [time series]

9.84 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 59

Drinking water source [time series]

improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population (2008)

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

4.3% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 90

Ethnic groups [time series]

Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.3% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 83

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

fewer than 1,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

140,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 34

Health expenditure (Health expenditures) [time series]

5.1% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 136

Hospital bed density [time series]

3.7 beds/1,000 population (2008) country comparison to the world: 57

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 3.38 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 213 male: 3.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Languages [time series]

Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 81.77 years country comparison to the world: 10 male: 79.16 years female: 84.53 years (2011 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 98.8% female: 98% (2001 census)

Major urban areas - population (Major cities - population) [time series]

ROME (capital) 3.357 million; Milan 2.962 million; Naples 2.27 million; Turin 1.662 million; Palermo 872,000 (2009)

Maternal mortality ratio (Maternal mortality rate) [time series]

5 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) country comparison to the world: 165

Median age [time series]

total: 43.5 years male: 42.4 years female: 44.7 years (2011 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Italian(s) adjective: Italian

Net migration rate [time series]

4.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 18

Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]

9.8% (2005) country comparison to the world: 56

Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]

4.242 physicians/1,000 population (2008) country comparison to the world: 9

Population [time series]

61,016,804 (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 23

Population growth rate [time series]

0.42% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 156

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2008)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.059 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.39 children born/woman (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 201

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) (Unemployment, youth ages 15-24) [time series]

total: 25.4% country comparison to the world: 27 male: 23.3% female: 28.7% (2009)

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 68% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa

Illicit drugs [time series]

important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling

Transportation

Airports [time series]

132 (2010) country comparison to the world: 43

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 101 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 13 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 19 (2010)

Heliports [time series]

6 (2010)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 667 country comparison to the world: 17 by type: bulk carrier 81, cargo 47, carrier 1, chemical tanker 169, container 22, liquefied gas 25, passenger 23, passenger/cargo 160, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 34, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 34 foreign-owned: 78 (Denmark 4, France 2, Germany 1, Greece 8, Luxembourg 12, Nigeria 1, Norway 6, Sweden 1, Switzerland 6, Taiwan 11, Turkey 3, UK 2, US 21) registered in other countries: 213 (Bahamas 5, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 6, Cyprus 6, Georgia 2, Gibraltar 4, Greece 5, Kiribati 1, Liberia 48, Malta 52, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 9, Norway 3, Panama 23, Portugal 10, Russia 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 3, Slovakia 2, Spain 1, Sweden 5, Turkey 2, UK 4, unknown 3) (2010)

Pipelines [time series]

gas 18,348 km; oil 1,241 km (2010)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

Augusta, Cagliari, Genoa, Livorno, Taranto, Trieste, Venice oil terminals: Melilli (Santa Panagia) oil terminal, Sarroch oil terminal

Railways [time series]

total: 20,254 km country comparison to the world: 13 standard gauge: 18,611 km 1.435-m gauge (12,662 km electrified) narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1,290 km 0.950-m gauge (151 km electrified); 231 km 0.850-m gauge (2010)

Roadways [time series]

total: 487,700 km country comparison to the world: 13 paved: 487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2007)

Waterways [time series]

2,400 km (used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail) (2009) country comparison to the world: 36