Spending on public employees stood at 3,126 euros per Italian last year. This is 17.7% less than the 3,800 euros per capita recorded in the European Union average, but the distance grows to 19.6% if France (3,889 euros per citizen) is taken as a comparison and reaches 38.5% when comparing with the 5,085 euros per year spent by each German. The result is the consequence of the long and strict “diet” imposed on the Public Administration in Italy where public debt was growing before Covid-19 pandemics blew up public finance parameters and constraints. Between 2015 and 2024, spending on public employees in Italy grew in nominal terms by 14%, from 164 billion euros a decade ago to 187 billion euros written into the 2024 accounts. In the same time frame, the EU as a whole was driving up total costs by 31.8%, with Germany coming in at a cumulative rate of 40.8%, while Spain stood at +36.1% and France at +24.9%. The figure becomes even clearer when adjusted for inflation: by this measure, Italy is the only one to show a real value (-9.9%) of public employee spending in net decline over the decade.