Between 2011 and 2024, more than 630,000 young Italians aged 18 to 34 emigrated abroad, resulting in a net loss of 441,000 people. According to a report by Italy’s National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL), this represents about 7 percent of the country’s young population.
In 2024 alone, 78,000 young people left Italy, many of them highly educated. Over 42 percent of those who emigrated in the last three years held a university degree. CNEL estimates the economic cost of this brain drain at around €160 billion, equivalent to 7.5 percent of Italy’s GDP.
The most common destinations are the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Spain. Beyond employment prospects, young Italians cite quality of life, public services, and civil rights as key reasons for leaving.