The law enabling the establishment of civil union between persons of the same sex in Italy went into effect on June 5, 2016. During the second half of 2016, 2,336 civil unions were formed, a significant percentage of which were couples who had been waiting a long time to legalize their emotional commitment. The initial boom was subsequently followed by a gradual stability, which was exacerbated by the problems associated with the epidemic period. According to Istat, the 2,813 civil unions between same-sex couples created at the Civil Status Offices of Italian towns in 2022 represent a significant rise over the previous year (+31.0%) and a significant increase over 2019 (+22.5%). When the preliminary statistics for the first eight months of 2023 are compared to the data for the same period in 2022 (approximately 10% greater), the upward trend appears to be confirmed. The North-West has 35.7% of civil unions, followed by the Centre (26.3%). Lombardy leads the regions with 22.8%, followed by Lazio (13.7%) and Emilia-Romagna (9.9%). In terms of rates per 100,000 residents, the national average is 4.8, while the South is nearly half that. Liguria is the most populous region (7.6 people per 100,000), followed by Tuscany (7.1) and Lazio (6.8).
|