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Country profile

Italy

🇮🇹 Southern Europe · Italian Republic

58,915,656
Population
#25 of 193
301,336 km²
Land area
#72 of 195
$2.55T
GDP (nominal)
🏆 #9 of 192
0.915
HDI
#29 of 191

How Italy ranks globally

Population58,915,656 #25 of 193
Land area301,336 km² #72 of 195
GDP (nominal)$2.55T 🏆 #9 of 192
Life expectancy84.0 yrs 🏆 #9 of 193
Literacy rate99.3% #22 of 162
HDI0.915 #29 of 191

About Italy

Italy (officially Italian Republic) is a country in Southern Europe, with Rome as its capital. It is home to roughly 58.92 million people, giving a population density of about 196 people per square kilometre. The country covers 301,336 km² of land and shares land borders with 6 neighbouring countries. Its economy is valued at approximately $2.55T in nominal GDP (2025), and it records a Human Development Index of 0.915. The official currency is the Euro (EUR), and the main language is Italian.

Key indicators

World Bank · UNDP

💹 Economy

$3.66T
GDP (PPP)
$62,014
GDP/capita (PPP)
0.5%
GDP growth
1.5%
Inflation
6.4%
Unemployment

👥 People

84.0 yrs
Life expectancy
1.18
Fertility rate
-0.1%
Pop. growth
69.7%
Urban population
2.3
Infant mortality /1k

🌍 Quality of Life

89.2%
Internet users
99.3%
Literacy rate
4.19
Physicians /1k
17.5%
Renewable energy

GDP over time

Italy's GDP over time (nominal, US$)
$0$669.78B$1.34T$2.01T$2.68T197019982025 Italy

How Italy measures up

Development profile (each axis 0–100%, higher is stronger)
WealthHealthHuman dev.InternetUrbanSurvival

How Italy is governed

🏛 Parliamentary republic
Head of State
President

Ceremonial head of state; guarantor of the constitution.

Head of Government
Prime Minister

President of the Council of Ministers; holds executive power.

Legislature
Parliament

Bicameral — Chamber of Deputies — 400 seats; Senate — 200 seats

Who holds the power?

Italy is a parliamentary republic. The President is a largely ceremonial head of state but plays a crucial role in appointing prime ministers and dissolving parliament during Italy's frequent government crises. The Prime Minister leads the government but depends on the confidence of both houses of a strongly bicameral parliament, which historically produced short-lived coalition governments.

Did you know?

Italy is the 25th most populous country in the world, with about 58.92 million people.

By land area it is the 72nd-largest country in the world, covering 301,336 km².

It has the world's 9th-largest economy by nominal GDP ($2.55T).

Italy shares land borders with 6 countries.

It is classed by the UN as a country of very high human development, with an HDI of 0.915.

Italy has a population density of about 196 people per square kilometre.

Quick quiz — do you know Italy?

What is the capital of Italy?

Travel & practical

Rome
Capital
EUR
Currency
+39
Dialing code
.it
Internet TLD

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Neighbouring countries

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