Young people of foreign origin, born or raised in Italy, are, in fact, the silent protagonists of the transformation . Not only recipients of interventions, but generators of hope, bearers of plural identities and a future to be built together. This is the central message of the 34th edition of the "Immigration Report," produced by Caritas Italiana and Fondazione Migrantes, titled this jubilee year "Young People, Witnesses of Hope."
The volume, presented yesterday, after the usual introduction on the international context, offers a representation of the situation of immigrants residing in Italy according to eight areas of daily life : citizenship, economy, school, healthcare, social hardship, sports, communication, and religious affiliation. The challenge taken up by the Report is to try to transform the many faces of mobility into the composite face of a country.
Immigration numbers in Italy and around the world . In Italy, there are over 5.4 million
legally resident foreigners , equal to 9.2% of the population. In 2024, more than 21% of newborns have at least one foreign parent. The main countries of origin of foreign citizens in Italy remain the same, but in recent years there has been a significant increase in new arrivals from Peru and Bangladesh. All this occurs in a global context where, in 2025, there will be 304 million international migrants worldwide, double the number in 1990, and over 123 million refugees and displaced persons. Young People of Foreign Origin: Potential Protagonists of the Country's Transformation. The 2025 Report focuses on young people with a migrant background, who represent a vital resource for Italian society. Many of them face difficulties in recognition and participation , but their experience is a living narrative of hope and change. "Giving them space," Caritas Italiana and Fondazione Migrantes emphasize in the introduction to the volume, "is not a favor, but an investment in Italy's future, which is built also—and above all—with those who have the courage to dream it, from within and without." Work, housing, and poverty: the challenges of inclusion. In 2024, there will be 24 million employed people in Italy , of whom over 2.5 million are foreigners (10.5%). Employment relationships with foreign citizens are growing (+5.8% in one year), but inequalities and exploitation persist, especially in the agricultural and service sectors. Housing difficulties
These issues remain a crucial issue: the Caritas-Migrantes survey highlights severe discrimination and barriers to housing access for foreign families. On the economic front, while the poverty rate among Italian citizens stands at 7.4%, it reaches 35.1% among foreigners (1,727,000 foreign citizens live in absolute poverty).
"Investing in inclusion strategies and legal pathways," said His Excellency Msgr. Carlo Maria Redaelli, Metropolitan Archbishop of Gorizia and President of Caritas Italiana, in his speech, "is not a favor, but an act of responsibility towards the future of our communities and those arriving: we can and must do better than we have done so far."
School, sports, and religion: spaces for citizenship and the future
. In the 2023/2024 school year, there will be over 900,000 students with non-Italian citizenship, representing an 11.5% incidence, a sign of an increasingly multicultural society. Sports continues to be a fertile ground for inclusion and active citizenship: however, only 35% of foreign girls participate in sports, compared to 62% of their Italian peers, and the phenomenon of sports trafficking deserves attention. In terms of religious affiliation , a key factor in understanding community participation, it is estimated that at the beginning of 2025, the total number of Christians will still exceed the absolute majority of foreign residents in Italy, reaching 51.7%, albeit a sharp decline from the 53.0% estimated for 2024.
"The Report confirms," said the Director General of the Migrantes Foundation, Msgr. Pierpaolo Felicolo , "that after the initial reception, constant support for a dignified existence and direct participation in the life of the country is essential. We give less importance to what we do and say for them, and more to the voice, testimony, and perspective of immigrant citizens on the country."
Italy is undergoing a transformation, states the Secretary General of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Msgr. Giuseppe Baturi , in his Preface to the volume – which passes through the faces, stories and dreams of young girls and boys who «attend the same schools as their Italian peers, speak local dialects, support their favorite teams, but often continue to feel – and be perceived – as “ permanent guests” , not fully part of the community». In this sense «Christian communities in Italy today have the opportunity to be privileged laboratories of coexistence, places where one can experiment on a small scale what the entire country struggles to achieve». In the situation depicted in the Report, writes Monsignor Baturi, the citizenshipit is confirmed as one of the "increasingly indispensable steps".
The materials
- The summary of the 2025 Immigration Report (introduction to the volume).
- The index .
- The preface by HE Msgr. Giuseppe Baturi .
- Infographic 1 and Infographic 2 .
- The statistical appendix .
- Podcasts (extra audio content).
