Economics

Poverty in Italy Fell Slightly Before Populist Income Support

Pedestrians walk past a homeless person in Rome.

Photographer: Laurent Emmanuel/AFP via Getty Images

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The number of Italians living in poverty stagnated after rising for three years ahead of the introduction of a new income-support tool.

Slightly more than 5 million Italians lived in absolute poverty last year, 18,000 fewer than 2017, statistics agency Istat said in a report Tuesday. That represents 8.4% of Italy’s total population of 60 million.