Italy

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

 

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

The Italian military has an annual budget of US$26.8 billion. This is 1.45 percent of its GDP, and with 1.395 percent of total global military expenditure it is the 12th highest funded military in the world. 

The Italian military, called the Forze Armate Italiene, consists of an Army, Navy and an Air Force. The president of Italy is head of the Armed Forces and is supported by the defence council. Its main task is to defend the territorial integrity of Italy as well as its maritime borders. The Italian military has an annual budget of US$26.8 billion. This is 1.45 percent of its GDP, and with 1.395 percent of total global military expenditure it is the 12th highest funded military in the world. 

Military membership

It is also a member of 14 international military organizations which makes it the eighth most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Conference on Disarmament 
  • Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation 
  • Permanent Structured Cooperation 
  • Member state of NATO 
  • Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) 
  • Conference on Disarmament 
  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
  • Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 
  • Wassenaar Arrangement 
  • Nuclear Suppliers Group 
  • Australia Group 
  • Missile Technology Control Regime 
  • International Atomic Energy Agency 
  • NATO 
  • Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 
  • Wassenaar Arrangement 
  • Nuclear Suppliers Group 
  • Australia Group 
  • Missile Technology Control Regime 
  • International Atomic Energy Agency 
  • NATO 

Military membership

International wars

Italy has fought 21 international wars. These are: 

  • Expedition of the Thousand 1860-1860 
  • Austro-Prussian War 1866-1866 
  • First Italo-Ethiopian War 1895-1896 
  • Boxer Rebellion 1899-1901 
  • Somaliland Campaign 1900-1910 
  • Venezuelan crisis of 1901–1903 
  • World War I 1914-1918 
  • Russian Civil War 1917-1911 
  • Christmas Uprising 1919-1919 
  • Turkish War of Independence 1919-1913 
  • Italo-Yugoslav War 1919-1910 
  • Vlora War 1910-1910 
  • Corfu incident 1913-1913 
  • Second Italo-Ethiopian War 1935-1936 
  • Spanish Civil War 1936-1936 
  • Italian invasion of Albania 1939-1939 
  • World War II 1939-1945 
  • Lebanese Civil War 1975-1990 
  • Gulf War 1990-1991 
  • Iraq War 2003-2011 
  • Libyan Civil War 2011-2011 

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Italy is a member of 16 international political organizations which makes it the 31st most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Member state of the United Nations 
  • International Labour Organization 
  • European Union 
  • the Council of Europe 
  • Central European Initiative 
  • Energy Community 
  • European Cooperation in Science and Technology 
  • Group of Eight (G8) 
  • Union for the Mediterranean 

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Since 1948, Italy has seen regular elections with smooth transitions of power. However, due to the presence of the Italian Mafia, there is a high corruption at the local level. This makes Italy the 25th most democratic state in the world. 

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Italy or in the form of a democratic republic with the president as head of state. Its republic is represented by multiple political parties and has been in place since 1948. 

  • International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property 

  • UNIDROIT 

  • International Criminal Court 

  • Interpol 

  • Permanent Court of Arbitration 

  • Western European and Others Group 

  • World Organization for Animal Health 

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Jamaica.

 The geography of Italy is mainly characterized by a densely forested mountain range that runs through its center and a high mountain range to its north. Between its northern and its central mountain range, there is a low-lying plane which is also present along its coastline. The mainland of Italy is considered to be a peninsula with France to its west, Switzerland and Austria to its north and Slovenia bordering to its east. It also borders the Holy See, or Vatican City as well as San Marino on all sides as the these are enclaves within Italy. 

It is the 71st largest state in the world with a total surface area of 302,846 square kilometers or 116,930 square miles. This makes Italy slightly larger than Burkina Faso and slightly smaller than the Philippines. 

It is the 59th state with the highest amount of surface water which is 7236 square kilometers or 2814 square miles. 

 

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Water covers around 2.4 percent of Italy's surface and surface water is most commonly used as drinking water. Despite having sufficient water, its water is unequally divided with the most northern part receiving more than 50 percent of all of Italy's surface water. 

 

Afghanistan's share of water, as well as the other states are displayed below.

The climate of Italy is characterized as a Mediterranean climate which has mild winters and hot summers. Because it is a peninsula, Italy's climate is highly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea. On average, Italy experiences a temperature of 13.5 degrees Celsius or 56.3 degrees Fahrenheit making it the 134th warmest state in the world. 

During the summer period, the average temperature goes up to 17.6 degrees Celsius or 63.7 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During the winter, the average temperature drops down to 9.6 degrees Celsius or 48.9 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Rainfall is fairly evenly spread out throughout the year and the average rainfall is 77.4 centimetres or 30.7 inches which makes Italy the 123rd state with the highest amount of rainfall. 

The capital of Italy, Rome is home to approximately 3 million people. The capital that is closest located is a Vatican City, the Holy See which is located inside Rome. The capital that is furthest located from Rome is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 18,550 kilometers or 11,526 miles. 

The economy of Italy is characterized as a diverse market economy with a focus on highly developed products. One of its most famous sectors is the automobile industry where Italy is the leading manufacturer of sport cars. Other exported goods are electronics, machinery and agricultural products such as wine and cheese. These are mainly exported to France Germany and the United States which combined represent more than 30 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from Germany which is solely responsible for more than 15 percent. 

Italy is a member of 23 international economic organizations making it the fourth most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • African development Bank 

  • Asian Development Bank 

  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 

  • Bank for International Settlements 

  • Caribbean Development Bank 

  • Council of Europe Development Bank 

  • Financial Action Task Force 

  • Inter-American Development Bank 

  • International Energy Agency 

  • nternational Development Law Organization 

  • International Monetary Fund 

  • OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development   

  • World Bank Group 

  • World Customs Organization 

  • World Trade Organization 

  • TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia 

  • Group of Ten (economics) 

  • International Energy Agency 

  • Energy Community 

  • Nuclear Energy Agency 

  • International Renewable Energy Agency 

  • G20 

  • Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law 

Its GDP is the third highest in Europe and the eighth highest in the world with nearly US$2 trillion. This represents more than 2.3 percent of total global GDP. 

Its GDP per service area is the 27th highest in the world with US$6.4 billion per square kilometer or US$16.7 billion per square mile. 

Its GDP per capita is the 29th highest in the world with US$32,114. 

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the 33rd highest in the world with US$40,805. 

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Italy is home to more than 60 million people which makes it the 23rd most populous state in the world. The Italian people are a mix of people within the region due to its long history. Most Italians are a mix between Greek, German French and Spanish people. Despite this, Italian is its official language with some minorities speaking the native language of neighbouring states in the border area. 

It has the 53rd highest population density in the world with 200 people per square kilometer or 518 people per square mile. 

More than 3 million people, or 5.1 percent of the population has migrated from Italy. Because Italy is a member of the European union, most Italians have migrated to other European states. The largest recipients of Italian migrants are France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom which combined represent more than 35 percent of all Italian migrants. A notable thing about these migrants is that they are relatively young which in turn influences the average age in Italy. 

Immigration to Italy is represented by 5.8 million people, or 9.6 percent of the population. This makes Italy the 10th state with the highest amount of immigration and represents 2.3 percent of total global immigration. Most immigrants come from other European states with Romania being the largest supplier of immigrants. Around one in six immigrants comes from Romania. 

Italy has the 35th highest literacy rate which stands at 98.7 percent. Its educational system is focused on providing free primary schooling and subsidized middle schooling 

Healthcare in Italy is considered to be of high standard. Contrary to other developed states, the Italian diet is considered to be among the healthiest in the world which has led to the third highest life expectancy in the world. The average life expectancy in Italy is 84 years with women reaching 86 years and men reaching 81.9 years. 

Up until 1984, Catholicism was the official state religion. Currently, Italy has no official state religion and provides freedom of religion towards all denominations. 

Christianity is followed by 83.3 percent of the population which makes Italy the 34th most Christian state in the world. Catholicism is the largest denomination. Because of conflict and as a result of the unification of Italy and the ceding of territory by the papal states, the Catholic Church held a negative view towards the Italian government. This changed under Fascist Italy when the Lateran Treaty was signed which recognized the Holy See, or the Vatican as a sovereign entity. 

Islam is followed by 4.1 percent of the Italian population and has been present in Italy since the ninth century when the Aghlabid conquered the southern part of Italy. At the end of the 20th century and at the start of the 21st century, migration from Muslim states started to increase with a large amount of people originating from north Africa and the Middle East. 

Buddhism is the third largest religion in Italy and is followed by 0.2 percent of the population. It is argued that Buddhism has been practiced in Italy during the Roman empire until the fall of the Western Roman empire. In recent times, most Buddhists are immigrants from China. 

Hinduism is represented by 0.13 percent of the population and has only been officially recognized by the Italian government in 2012. Most Hindus originate from the Indian subcontinent and are mostly migrants. 

Jews have had a tumultuous history in Italy with incidentally hostile periods where Jews were accused of heresy and sorcery. Despite siding with Nazi Germany during the second world war, Italy refused to persecute Jews in occupied France as well as the shipments of the Jews towards German occupied territories. Today, Jews represent around 0.08 percent of the population which is just over 40,000 people. 

Other religions are mainly found in the northern parts of Italy and are neopagan religions. These represent 0.13 percent of the population. 

Irreligion is practiced by 8.3 percent of the population. 

Known for its ancient buildings in its capital, Venice and being the center for European fashion, Italy has been the center of large empires throughout history. Its first Empire was the Roman empire which reigned between the ninth century BC until the fifth century when it fell to the barbarians. Since then, the Italian territory has been a part of the holy Roman empire as well as large and influential city states until 1861 when these states unified into Italy. The unification process was completed in 1871 when almost all of Rome was incorporated into the Italian state. After aligning itself with the Allied forces during the first world war, Italy gained parts of the Austro-Hungarian territory to its north. Shortly after the first world war, Benito Mussolini gained power and after invading Albania and Ethiopia, it aligned itself with Nazi Germany during the second world war. After losing the second world war, Italy entered a period of relative stability.