Editing Italy (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Italy}}
{{See also|Italians|Internal migration in Italy|Italian diaspora|Genetic history of Italy|List of cities in Italy}}
[[File:Map of population density in Italy (2011 census) alt colours.jpg|thumb|Map of Italy's population density at the 2011 census]]
[[File:Map of the Italian Diaspora in the World.svg|thumb|[[Italian diaspora]] in the world]]

In 2020, Italy had 60,317,116 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 April 2022|title=Indicatori demografici|url=https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/269158|access-date=27 July 2022|website=istat.it|language=it|archive-date=13 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713112932/https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/269158|url-status=live}}</ref> Its population density of {{Convert|202|PD/km2}} is higher than most West European countries. However, distribution is uneven: the most densely populated areas are the Po Valley (almost half the population) and the metropolitan areas of Rome and Naples, while vast regions such as the Alps and Apennine highlands, the plateaus of Basilicata, and the island of Sardinia, as well as much of Sicily, are sparsely populated.

Italy's population almost doubled during the 20th century, but the pattern of growth was uneven because of large-scale [[Internal migration in Italy|internal migration from the rural south to the industrial north]], a consequence of the [[Italian economic miracle]] of the 1950–1960s. High fertility rates persisted until the 1970s, after which they started to decline; the [[total fertility rate]] (TFR) reached an all-time low of 1.2 children per woman in 1995, well below the replacement rate of 2.1 and considerably below the high of 5 in 1883.<ref>{{Citation|last=Max Roser|title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|work=[[Our World In Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]]|year=2014|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=ITA|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807185906/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=ITA|archive-date=7 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 2008, when the rate climbed slightly to 1.4,<ref>{{Cite web|last=ISTAT|author-link=Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|title=Average number of children born per woman 2005–2008 |url=http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_4.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810171708/http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_4.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2011|access-date=3 May 2009|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=ISTAT|author-link=Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|title=Crude birth rates, mortality rates and marriage rates 2005–2008 |url=http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_1.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810171721/http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_1.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2011|access-date=10 May 2009|language=it}}</ref> the number of births has consistently declined every year, reaching a record low of 379,000 in 2023—the fewest since 1861.<ref name="www.reuters.com">[https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/births-fall-italy-15th-year-running-record-low-2024-03-29/ Births fall in Italy for 15th year running to record low]| Reuters</ref> Although as of 2013 the TFR is expected to reach 1.6–1.8 in 2030,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Previsioni della popolazione, 2011–2065, dati al 1° gennaio |url=http://demo.istat.it/uniprev2011/index.html?lingua=ita|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306125456/http://demo.istat.it/uniprev2011/index.html?lingua=ita|archive-date=6 March 2013|access-date=12 March 2013|publisher=Demo.istat.it}}</ref> in 2024, it stood at 1.2.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Tobias|date=2024-01-03|title=Boosting Italy's birthrate has become a patriotic cause for the far right. But it's an idea that's doomed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/03/italy-birthrate-far-right-population-immigration-giorgia-meloni|access-date=2024-05-29|work=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

As a result of these trends, Italy's population is rapidly aging and gradually shrinking. Nearly one in four Italians is over 65,<ref name="www.reuters.com" /> and the country has the [[List of countries by median age|fourth oldest population in the world]], with a median age of 48 and an average age of 46.6.<ref name="cia.gov" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Aging population of Italy|url=https://www.statista.com/topics/8379/aging-population-of-italy/|access-date=2024-05-29|website=Statista|language=en|archive-date=29 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529041428/https://www.statista.com/topics/8379/aging-population-of-italy/|url-status=live}}</ref> The overall population has been falling steadily since 2014 and is estimated to have fallen just below 59 million in 2024, representing a cumulative loss of more than 1.36 million people over the span of a decade.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Nadeau |first1=Barbie Latza |last2=Di Donato |first2=Valentina |last3=Mortensen |first3=Antonia|date=2023-05-17|title='Low fertility trap': Why Italy's falling birth rate is causing alarm|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/17/europe/italy-record-low-birth-rate-intl-cmd/index.html|access-date=2024-05-29|website=CNN|language=en|archive-date=29 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529041430/https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/17/europe/italy-record-low-birth-rate-intl-cmd/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

From the late 19th century to the 1960s, Italy was a country of mass emigration. Between 1898 and 1914, the peak years of [[Italian diaspora]], approximately 750,000 Italians emigrated annually.<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 August 1999|title=Causes of the Italian mass emigration|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/26786/en/articles/view.php3?arKey=4&paKey=7&loKey=0&evKey=&toKey=&torKey=&tolKey=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701010600/http://library.thinkquest.org/26786/en/articles/view.php3?arKey=4&paKey=7&loKey=0&evKey=&toKey=&torKey=&tolKey=|archive-date=1 July 2009|access-date=11 August 2014|publisher=ThinkQuest Library}}</ref> The diaspora included more than 25 million Italians and is considered the greatest mass migration of recent times.<ref>Favero, Luigi e Tassello, Graziano. ''Cent'anni di emigrazione italiana (1861–1961)'' Introduction</ref>

=== Largest cities ===
{{Largest cities of Italy}}

=== Immigration ===
{{Main|Immigration to Italy}}
[[File:Italy, foreign residents as a percentage of the total population, 2011.svg|thumb|Foreign residents as a percentage of the regional population at the 2011 census]]

In the 1980s, until then a linguistically and culturally homogeneous society, Italy began to attract substantial flows of immigrants.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Allen|first=Beverly|url=https://archive.org/details/revisioningitaly00beve|title=Revisioning Italy national identity and global culture|date=1997|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|isbn=978-0-8166-2727-1|location=Minneapolis|page=[https://archive.org/details/revisioningitaly00beve/page/169 169]|url-access=registration}}</ref> After the [[fall of the Berlin Wall]], and enlargements of the EU, waves of migration originated from the former socialist countries of East Europe. Another source of immigration is neighbouring North Africa, with arrivals soaring as a consequence of the [[Arab Spring]]. Growing migration fluxes from Asia-Pacific (notably China<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6550725.stm Milan police in Chinatown clash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010205822/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6550725.stm|date=10 October 2017}}". BBC News. 13 April 2007.</ref> and the Philippines) and Latin America have been recorded.

In 2010, the foreign-born population was from the following regions: Europe (54%), Africa (22%), Asia (16%), the Americas (8%), and Oceania (0.06%). The distribution of the foreign population is geographically varied: in 2020, 61% of foreign citizens lived in the north, 24% in the centre, 11% in the south, and 4% on the islands.<ref>{{Cite web|title=XXIX Rapporto Immigrazione 2020|url=https://www.migrantes.it/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2020/10/RICM_2020_DEF.pdf|access-date=31 December 2021|language=it|archive-date=31 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231222417/https://www.migrantes.it/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2020/10/RICM_2020_DEF.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2021, Italy had about 5.2 million foreign residents,<ref name="id2020"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Population on 1 January by sex, country of birth and broad group of citizenship|url=https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do|access-date=28 August 2023|archive-date=21 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121154457/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/main/eurostat/web/main/help/faq/data-services|url-status=live}}</ref> making up 9% of the population. The figures include more than half a million children born in Italy to foreign nationals, but exclude foreign nationals who have subsequently acquired Italian citizenship;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Immigrants.Stat|url=http://stra-dati.istat.it/Index.aspx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709143540/http://stra-dati.istat.it/Index.aspx|archive-date=9 July 2017|access-date=15 June 2017|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Istat]]}}</ref> in 2016, about 201,000 people became Italian citizens.<ref>{{Cite web|title=National demographic balance 2016|url=https://www.istat.it/en/archive/201143|access-date=15 June 2017|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Istat]]|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010180410/https://www.istat.it/en/archive/201143|url-status=live}}</ref> The official figures also exclude [[illegal immigrants]], which was estimated to be 670,000 in 2008.<ref>Elisabeth Rosenthal, "[https://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/05/16/italy_cracks_down_on_illegal_immigration/ Italy cracks down on illegal immigration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821061114/http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/05/16/italy_cracks_down_on_illegal_immigration|date=21 August 2013}}". ''[[The Boston Globe]]''. 16 May 2008.</ref> About one million [[Romanian diaspora|Romanian]] citizens are registered as living in Italy, representing the largest migrant population.

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of Italy|Italian language|Regional Italian|Geographical distribution of Italian speakers}}
[[File:Linguistic map of Italy.png|thumb|Map of the [[Languages of Italy|languages spoken in Italy]]]]

Italy's official language is Italian.<ref name="lang">{{Cite web|title=Legge 15 Dicembre 1999, n. 482 "Norme in materia di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche" pubblicata nella Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 297 del 20 dicembre 1999 |url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/99482l.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512051856/http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/99482l.htm|archive-date=12 May 2015|access-date=2 December 2014|publisher=[[Italian Parliament]]}}</ref><ref>Statuto Speciale per il Trentino-Alto Adige, Art. 99</ref> There are an estimated 64 million native Italian speakers around the world,<ref>[https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ita Italian language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730230004/http://www.ethnologue.com/language/ita|date=30 July 2015}} Ethnologue.com; {{Cite web|date=February 2006|title=Eurobarometer – Europeans and their languages|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430202903/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf|archive-date=30 April 2011|format=485{{spaces}}KB}}; [[Nationalencyklopedin]] "Världens 100 största språk 2007" The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007</ref> and another 21 million use it as a second language.<ref>[http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/modern-languages/lal/languages%20at%20lal/italian Italian language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502004444/http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/modern-languages/lal/languages%20at%20lal/italian|date=2 May 2014}} University of Leicester</ref> Italian is often natively spoken as a [[Regional Italian|regional dialect]], not to be confused with Italy's regional and minority languages;<ref>{{Cite web|title=UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger|url=http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/index.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218184822/http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/index.php|archive-date=18 December 2016|access-date=2 January 2018|publisher=UNESCO}}; {{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297241/Italian-language|title=Italian language|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=3 November 2008|access-date=19 November 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129081859/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297241/Italian-language|archive-date=29 November 2009}}</ref> however, during the 20th century, the establishment of a national education system led to a decrease in regional dialects. Standardisation was further expanded in the 1950s and 1960s, due to economic growth and the rise of [[Media of Italy|mass media]] and television.

Twelve "historical minority languages" are formally recognised: Albanian, [[Catalan language|Catalan]], German, Greek, Slovene, Croatian, French, Franco-Provençal, Friulian, [[Ladin language|Ladin]], [[Occitan language|Occitan]], and Sardinian.<ref name="lang"/> Four of these enjoy co-official status in their respective regions: French in the Aosta Valley;<ref>L.cost. 26 febbraio 1948, n. 4, Statuto speciale per la Valle d'Aosta</ref> German in [[South Tyrol]], and [[Ladin language|Ladin]] as well in some parts of the same province and in parts of the neighbouring Trentino;<ref>L.cost. 26 febbraio 1948, n. 5, Statuto speciale per il Trentino-Alto Adige</ref> and [[Slovene language|Slovene]] in the provinces of [[Province of Trieste|Trieste]], [[Province of Gorizia|Gorizia]], and [[Province of Udine|Udine]].<ref>L. cost. 31 gennaio 1963, n. 1, Statuto speciale della Regione Friuli-Venezia Giulia</ref> Other Ethnologue, ISO, and UNESCO languages are not recognised under Italian law. Like France, Italy has signed the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]], but has not ratified it.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ready for Ratification|url=https://rm.coe.int/European-centre-for-minority-issues-vol-1-/1680737191|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103133317/https://rm.coe.int/European-centre-for-minority-issues-vol-1-/1680737191|archive-date=3 January 2018|publisher=European Centre for Minority Issues}}</ref>

Due to recent immigration, Italy has sizeable populations whose native language is not Italian, nor a regional language. According to the [[Italian National Institute of Statistics]], Romanian is the most common mother tongue among foreign residents: almost 800,000 people speak Romanian as their first language (22% of foreign residents aged 6 and over). Other prevalent mother tongues are Arabic (spoken by over 475,000; 13% of foreign residents), Albanian (380,000), and Spanish (255,000).<ref>{{Cite web|date=24 July 2014|title=Linguistic diversity among foreign citizens in Italy|url=http://www.istat.it/en/archive/129304|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730134706/http://www.istat.it/en/archive/129304|archive-date=30 July 2014|access-date=27 July 2014|publisher=Italian National Institute of Statistics}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Italy}}
{{See also|List of cathedrals in Italy}}
[[File:PonteSantAngeloRom.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[St. Peter's Basilica]] viewed from the [[Tiber]]; the [[Vatican Hill]] in the back and [[Castel Sant'Angelo]] in [[Rome]] to the right. Both the basilica and the hill are part of the [[United Nations General Assembly observers|sovereign state]] of [[Vatican City]], the [[Holy See]] of the [[Catholic Church]].]]

The [[Holy See]], the [[Diocese of Rome|episcopal jurisdiction of Rome]], contains the government of [[Vatican City]] and the worldwide [[Catholic Church]]. It is recognised as a [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] entity, headed by the pope, who is also the Bishop of Rome, with which diplomatic relations can be maintained.<ref>Text taken directly from {{Cite web|title=Country Profile: Vatican City State|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/europe/holy-see|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231084624/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/europe/holy-see|archive-date=31 December 2010|access-date=5 February 2016}} (viewed on 14 December 2011), on the website of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office.</ref>{{Efn|The Holy See's sovereignty has been recognised explicitly in many international agreements and is particularly emphasised in article 2 of the [[Lateran Treaty]] of 11 February 1929, in which "Italy recognises the sovereignty of the Holy See in international matters as an inherent attribute in conformity with its traditions and the requirements of its mission to the world" ([http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/treaty.htm Lateran Treaty, English translation]).}}

Although historically dominated by Catholicism, [[Religion in Italy|religiosity in Italy]] is declining.<ref name="Dell'orto">{{Cite web|last=Dell'orto|first=Giovanna|date=5 October 2023|title=The Nones: Italy|url=https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/the-nones/the-nones-italy.html|access-date=6 October 2023|work=[[Associated Press News]]|archive-date=5 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005133701/https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/the-nones/the-nones-italy.html|url-status=live}}; {{Cite web|last=Dell'orto|first=Giovanna|date=2023-10-05|title=From cradle to casket, life for Italians changes as Catholic faith loses relevance|url=https://apnews.com/article/italy-nonreligious-catholic-life-changes-fb808ce37daba3ce222e57a51c7d9187|access-date=2023-10-06|work=Associated Press News|archive-date=7 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007220721/https://apnews.com/article/italy-nonreligious-catholic-life-changes-fb808ce37daba3ce222e57a51c7d9187|url-status=live}}</ref> Most Catholics are nominal; the Associated Press describes [[Catholic Church in Italy|Italian Catholicism]] as "nominally embraced but rarely lived".<ref name="Dell'orto"/> Italy has the world's [[Catholic Church by country|fifth-largest Catholic population]] and the largest in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 February 2013|title=The Global Catholic Population|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-date=25 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125003604/https://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 1985, Catholicism is no longer the official religion.<ref>{{Cite news|date=4 June 1985|title=Catholicism No Longer Italy's State Religion|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-06-04/news/8501220260_1_italian-state-new-agreement-church|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020143004/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-06-04/news/8501220260_1_italian-state-new-agreement-church|archive-date=20 October 2013|access-date=7 September 2013|work=[[Sun Sentinel]]}}</ref>

In 2011, minority Christian faiths included an estimated 1.5 million Orthodox Christians, while [[Protestantism]] has been growing.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Leustean|first=Lucian N.|title=Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twenty-First Century|date=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-4156-8490-3|page=723}}</ref> Italy has for centuries welcomed Jews expelled from other countries, notably Spain. However, about 20% of Italian Jews were killed during [[the Holocaust]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dawidowicz, Lucy S. |title=The war against the Jews, 1933–1945 |publisher=Bantam Books |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-5533-4302-1 |location=New York}} p. 403.</ref> This, together with emigration before and after World War II, has left around 28,000 Jews.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Jewish Community of Italy (Unione delle Comunita Ebraiche Italiane)|url=http://www.eurojewcong.org/communities/italy.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313095857/http://www.eurojewcong.org/communities/italy.html|archive-date=13 March 2013|access-date=25 August 2014|publisher=The European Jewish Congress}}</ref> There are 120,000 Hindus<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 November 2019|title=Eurispes, risultati del primo Rapporto di ricerca su "L'Induismo in Italia"|url=https://eurispes.eu/news/eurispes-risultati-del-primo-rapporto-di-ricerca-su-linduismo-in-italia|access-date=31 December 2021|language=it|archive-date=31 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231223926/https://eurispes.eu/news/eurispes-risultati-del-primo-rapporto-di-ricerca-su-linduismo-in-italia/|url-status=live}}</ref> and 70,000 Sikhs.<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 November 2004|title=NRI Sikhs in Italy|url=http://www.nriinternet.com/EUROPE/ITALY/2004/111604Gurdwara.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207031755/http://nriinternet.com/EUROPE/ITALY/2004/111604Gurdwara.htm|archive-date=7 February 2011|access-date=30 October 2010|publisher=Nriinternet.com}}</ref>

The state devolves shares of income tax to recognised religious communities, under a regime known as [[eight per thousand]]. Donations are allowed to Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu communities; however, Islam remains excluded, as no Muslim communities have signed a concordat.<ref>{{Cite web|date=7 April 2003|title=Italy: Islam denied income tax revenue – Adnkronos Religion|url=http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.880028077|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620070907/http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.880028077|archive-date=20 June 2013|access-date=2 June 2013|publisher=Adnkronos.com}}</ref> Taxpayers who do not wish to fund a religion contribute their share to the welfare system.<ref>[http://documenti.camera.it/Leg16/dossier/Testi/BI0350.htm#_Toc278992388 Camera dei deputati Dossier BI0350] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927211619/http://documenti.camera.it/Leg16/dossier/Testi/BI0350.htm|date=27 September 2013}}. Documenti.camera.it (10 March 1998). Retrieved 12 July 2013.</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Italy}}
[[File:Archiginnasio ora blu Bologna.jpg|thumb|[[University of Bologna|Bologna University]], established in 1088 AD, is the world's [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest university in continuous operation]].]]

Education is mandatory and free from ages six to sixteen,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Law 27 December 2007, n.296 |url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/06296l.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206012402/http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/06296l.htm|archive-date=6 December 2012|access-date=30 September 2012|publisher=Italian Parliament}}</ref> and consists of five stages: kindergarten, primary school, lower secondary school, upper secondary school, and university.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Human Development Reports|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429033726/http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf|archive-date=29 April 2011|access-date=18 January 2014|publisher=Hdr.undp.org}}</ref>

Primary school lasts eight years. Students are given a basic education in Italian, English, mathematics, natural sciences, history, geography, social studies, physical education, and visual and musical arts. Secondary school lasts for five years and includes three traditional types of schools focused on different academic levels: the ''[[Secondary education in Italy#Liceo|liceo]]'' prepares students for university studies with a classical or scientific curriculum, while the ''[[Secondary education in Italy#Istituto tecnico|istituto tecnico]]'' and the ''[[Secondary education in Italy#Istituto professionale|istituto professionale]]'' prepare pupils for vocations.

In 2018, secondary education was evaluated as being below the average among [[OECD]] countries.<ref name="oecd.org">{{Cite web|title=PISA 2018 results|url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm|access-date=6 April 2021|website=oecd.org|archive-date=3 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203141933/https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Italy scored below the OECD average in reading and science, and near the OECD average in mathematics.<ref name="oecd.org"/> A wide gap exists between northern schools, which perform near average, and the south, which had much poorer results.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The literacy divide: territorial differences in the Italian education system|url=http://new.sis-statistica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CO09-The-literacy-divide-territorial-differences-in-the-Italian.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117015624/http://new.sis-statistica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CO09-The-literacy-divide-territorial-differences-in-the-Italian.pdf|archive-date=17 November 2015|access-date=16 November 2015|publisher=Parthenope University of Naples}}</ref>

Tertiary education is divided between [[List of universities in Italy|public universities]], private universities, and the prestigious and selective [[Superior Graduate Schools in Italy|superior graduate schools]], such as the [[Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa]]. 33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|year=2019|title=Number of top-ranked universities by country in Europe|url=https://jakubmarian.com/number-of-top-ranked-universities-by-country-in-europe|publisher=jakubmarian.com|access-date=18 May 2019|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518113438/https://jakubmarian.com/number-of-top-ranked-universities-by-country-in-europe/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[University of Bologna|Bologna University]], founded in 1088, is the [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest university]] still in operation,<ref>Nuria Sanz, Sjur Bergan: "The heritage of European universities", 2nd edition, Higher Education Series No. 7, Council of Europe, 2006. ISBN 978-92-871-6121-5. p. 136.</ref> and one of the leading academic institutions in Europe.<ref>{{Cite news|date=3 July 2017|title=Censis, la classifica delle università: Bologna ancora prima|url=http://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/07/03/news/censis_la_classifica_delle_universita_bologna_ancora_prima-169846308|work=La Repubblica|access-date=10 September 2018|archive-date=10 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910204704/https://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/07/03/news/censis_la_classifica_delle_universita_bologna_ancora_prima-169846308/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Bocconi University]], the [[Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore]], [[Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli|LUISS]], the [[Polytechnic University of Turin]], the [[Polytechnic University of Milan]], the [[Sapienza University of Rome]], and the [[University of Milan]] are also ranked among the best.<ref>{{Cite web|year=2015|title=Academic Ranking of World Universities 2015 |url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2015.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030134046/http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2015.html|archive-date=30 October 2015|access-date=29 October 2015|publisher=Shanghai Ranking Consultancy}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Italy|Healthcare in Italy}}
[[File:Oil-1383546 1920.jpg|thumb|right|[[Olive oil]] and vegetables are central to the Mediterranean diet.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Duarte, A.|last2=Fernandes, J.|last3=Bernardes, J.|last4=Miguel, G.|year=2016|title=Citrus as a Component of the Mediterranean Diet|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311911612|journal=Journal of Spatial and Organizational Dynamics|volume=4|pages=289–304|access-date=26 January 2021|archive-date=1 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001220519/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311911612|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

Italy's life expectancy in 2015 was 80.5 years for men and 84.8 for women, placing the country [[List of countries by life expectancy|5th in the world]].<ref>{{Cite web|year=2016|title=World Health Statistics 2016: Monitoring health for the SDGs Annex B: tables of health statistics by country, WHO region and globally |url=https://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2016/Annex_B/en|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623023234/http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2016/Annex_B/en|archive-date=23 June 2016|access-date=27 June 2016|publisher=World Health Organization}}</ref> Compared to other Western countries, Italy has a low rate of adult obesity (below 10%<ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Prevalence of Adult Obesity|url=http://www.iotf.org/database/documents/GlobalPrevalenceofAdultObesity16thDecember08.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327044232/http://www.iotf.org/database/documents/GlobalPrevalenceofAdultObesity16thDecember08.pdf|archive-date=27 March 2009|access-date=29 January 2008|publisher=[[International Obesity Taskforce]]}}</ref>), as the health benefits of the [[Mediterranean diet]] are very significant.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dinu|first1=M|last2=Pagliai|first2=G|last3=Casini|first3=A|author-link3=Angela Casini|last4=Sofi|first4=F|date=10 May 2017|title=Mediterranean diet and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies and randomised trials.|journal=European Journal of Clinical Nutrition|volume=72|issue=1|pages=30–43|doi=10.1038/ejcn.2017.58|pmid=28488692|s2cid=7702206|hdl-access=free|hdl=2158/1081996}}</ref> In 2013, [[UNESCO]], prompted by Italy, added the Mediterranean diet to the [[Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]] of Italy, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Croatia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UNESCO Culture Sector, Eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee (8.COM) – from 2 to 7 December 2013 |url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00473|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220125948/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00473|archive-date=20 December 2013|access-date=3 April 2014}}; {{Cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00884|access-date=3 April 2014|title=UNESCO – Culture – Intangible Heritage – Lists & Register – Inscribed Elements – Mediterranean Diet| url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415064011/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00884|archive-date=15 April 2014}}</ref>

The proportion of daily smokers was 22% in 2012, down from 24% in 2000 but above the OECD average.<ref>{{Cite web|year=2014|title=OECD Health Statistics 2014 How Does Italy Compare? |url=http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Briefing-Note-ITALY-2014.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133234/http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Briefing-Note-ITALY-2014.pdf|archive-date=24 September 2015|publisher=OECD}}</ref> Since 2005, smoking in public places has been restricted to "specially ventilated rooms".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Smoking Ban Begins in Italy {{!}} Europe {{!}} DW.COM {{!}} 10 January 2005|url=http://www.dw.com/en/smoking-ban-begins-in-italy/a-1453590|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621143640/http://www.dw.com/en/smoking-ban-begins-in-italy/a-1453590|archive-date=21 June 2015|access-date=1 August 2010|publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref>

Since 1978, the state has run a universal public healthcare system.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy – Health|url=http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/health.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701064229/http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/health.html|archive-date=1 July 2009|access-date=2 August 2010|publisher=Dev.prenhall.com}}</ref> However, healthcare is provided to all citizens and residents by a mixed public-private system. The public part is the [[Servizio Sanitario Nazionale]], which is organised under the Ministry of Health and administered on a devolved regional basis. Healthcare spending accounted for 10% of GDP in 2020. Italy's healthcare system has been consistently ranked among the best in the world;<ref>{{Cite web|title=The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems|url=http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html|access-date=7 September 2015|publisher=Photius.com|archive-date=5 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105190014/http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html|url-status=live}}; {{Cite news|date=20 March 2017|title=Italy's Struggling Economy Has World's Healthiest People|publisher=Bloomberg News|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-20/italy-s-struggling-economy-has-world-s-healthiest-people|access-date=9 December 2020|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006112037/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-20/italy-s-struggling-economy-has-world-s-healthiest-people|url-status=live}}</ref> according to research by the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) dating back to 2000, Italy had the second best healthcare system in the world in terms of spending efficiency and access to public care for citizens, after France.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Maio |first1=Vittorio |last2=Manzoli |first2=L |date=2002 |title=The Italian health care system: W.H.O. Ranking versus public perception. |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285698246 |journal=P and T |volume=27 |pages=301–308}}</ref>