Italy

Broadcast media

two Italian media giants dominate - the publicly-owned Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) with 3 national terrestrial stations and privately-owned Mediaset with 3 national terrestrial stations; a large number of private stations and Sky Italia - a satellite TV network; RAI operates 3 AM/FM nationwide radio stations; some 1,300 commercial radio stations (2007)

Internet country code

.it

Internet hosts

25.662 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 4

Internet users

29.235 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 13

Telephone system

general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables provide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat

Telephones - main lines in use

22.116 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 13

Telephones - mobile cellular

96.005 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 11

Agriculture - products

fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Budget

revenues: $956.6 billion expenditures: $1.014 trillion (2012 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-2.9% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 105

Central bank discount rate

1.5% (31 December 2012) country comparison to the world: 115 1.75% (31 December 2010) note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area

Commercial bank prime lending rate

4.2% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 162 4.6% (31 December 2011 est.)

Current account balance

-$30.3 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 184 -$71.87 billion (2011 est.)

Debt - external

$2.46 trillion (30 June 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 $2.684 trillion (30 June 2011 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

31.9 (2011) country comparison to the world: 106 27.3 (1995)

Economy - overview

Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, highly subsidized, agricultural south, with high unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises, many of them family owned. Italy also has a sizable underground economy, which by some estimates accounts for as much as 17% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture, construction, and service sectors. Italy is the third-largest economy in the euro-zone, but its exceptionally high public debt and structural impediments to growth have rendered it vulnerable to scrutiny by financial markets. Public debt has increased steadily since 2007, topping 126% of GDP in 2012, and investor concerns about the broader euro-zone crisis at times have caused borrowing costs on sovereign government debt to rise to euro-era records. During the second half of 2011 the government passed a series of three austerity packages to balance its budget and decrease its public debt. These measures included a hike in the value-added tax, pension reforms, and cuts to public administration. The government also faces pressure from investors and European partners to sustain its recent efforts to address Italy's long-standing structural impediments to growth, such as an inflexible labor market and widespread tax evasion. In 2012 economic growth and labor market conditions deteriorated, with growth at -2.3% and unemployment rising to nearly 11%. Although the government has undertaken several economic reform iniatiatives, in the longer-term Italy's low fertility rate, productivity, and foreign investment will increasingly strain its economy. Italy's GDP is now 7% below its 2007 pre-crisis level.

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7838 (2012 est.) 0.7185 (2011 est.) 755 (2010 est.) 0.7198 (2009 est.) 0.6827 (2008 est.)

Exports

$483.3 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 $524.9 billion (2011 est.)

Exports - commodities

engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals

Exports - partners

Germany 13.3%, France 11.8%, US 5.9%, Spain 5.4%, Switzerland 5.4%, UK 4.7% (2011)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.98 trillion (2012 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.834 trillion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 $1.877 trillion (2011 est.) $1.869 trillion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 2% industry: 23.9% services: 74.1% (2012 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$30,100 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $31,000 (2011 est.) $31,000 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

-2.3% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 207 0.4% (2011 est.) 1.8% (2010 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 26.8% (2000)

Imports

$469.7 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 13 $549.6 billion (2011 est.)

Imports - commodities

engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco

Imports - partners

Germany 16.5%, France 8.8%, China 7.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, Spain 4.7% (2011)

Industrial production growth rate

0.2% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 147

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 78 2.9% (2011 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

18.2% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 118

Labor force

25.28 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 25

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 3.9% industry: 28.3% services: 67.8% (2011)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$431.5 billion (31 December 2011) country comparison to the world: 27 $318.1 billion (31 December 2010) $317.3 billion (31 December 2009)

Population below poverty line

(2011)

Public debt

126.1% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 120.1% of GDP (2011 est.) note: Italy reports its data on public debt according to guidelines set out in the Maastricht Treaty; general government gross debt is defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year, in the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); the general government sector comprises the central government, state government, local government and social security funds

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$173.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 14 $158.9 billion (2010 est.)

Stock of broad money

$1.944 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 $1.957 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$537 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 12 $492.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$369.5 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 16 $338.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$3.122 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 $3.209 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.137 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 $1.147 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 17 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

Taxes and other revenues

48.3% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 23

Unemployment rate

10.9% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 117 8.4% (2011 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

416.4 million Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 16

Crude oil - exports

6,300 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 59

Crude oil - imports

1.591 million bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 8

Crude oil - production

99,200 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 49

Crude oil - proved reserves

523.2 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 51

Electricity - consumption

313.8 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 14

Electricity - exports

1.787 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 49

Electricity - from fossil fuels

65% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 129

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

18% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 98

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 112

Electricity - from other renewable sources

15.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 10

Electricity - imports

47.52 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Electricity - installed generating capacity

122.3 million kW (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 9

Electricity - production

302.6 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 14

Natural gas - consumption

77.83 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 12

Natural gas - exports

123 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 46

Natural gas - imports

70.37 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 6

Natural gas - production

8.364 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 47

Natural gas - proved reserves

66 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

Refined petroleum products - consumption

1.454 million bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 17

Refined petroleum products - exports

628,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 11

Refined petroleum products - imports

393,300 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 15

Refined petroleum products - production

1.887 million bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

Area

total: 301,340 sq km country comparison to the world: 72 land: 294,140 sq km water: 7,200 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Arizona

Climate

predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Coastline

7,600 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)

Environment - current issues

air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%) per capita: 723 cu m/yr (1998)

Geographic coordinates

42 50 N, 12 50 E

Geography - note

strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

Irrigated land

39,500 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 1,899.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km

Land use

arable land: 26.41% permanent crops: 9.09% other: 64.5% (2005)

Location

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards

regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Etna (elev. 3,330 m), which is in eruption as of 2010, is Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to nearby Sicilian villages; Etna, along with the famous Vesuvius, which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the Bay of Naples area, have both been deemed "Decade Volcanoes" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Stromboli, on its namesake island, has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Larderello, Pantelleria, Vulcano, and Vulsini

Natural resources

coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Total renewable water resources

175 cu km (2005)

Administrative divisions

15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma) regions: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Toscana (Tuscany), Umbria, Veneto (Venetia) autonomous regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee d'Aoste (French)

Capital

name: Rome geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution

passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times

Country name

conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia former: Kingdom of Italy

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador David THORNE embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 46741 FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Claudio BISOGNIERO chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit

Executive branch

chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Mario MONTI (since 16 November 2011); note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the President of the Council of Ministers; Mario MONTI resigned on 21 December 2012 cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the Prime Minister and nominated by the President of the Republic (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held on 10 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth round of voting; electoral college vote - 543

Flag description

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; design inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797; colors are those of Milan (red and white) combined with the green uniform color of the Milanese civic guard note: similar to the flag of Mexico, which is longer, uses darker shades of red and green, and has its coat of arms centered on the white band; Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green

Government type

republic

Independence

17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMISS, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts); Supreme Court of Cassation or Corte Suprema di Cassazione

Legal system

civil law system; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; members to serve five-year terms; and up to 5 senators for life appointed by the president of the Republic) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members to serve five-year terms); note - it has not been clarified if each president has the power to designate up to five senators or if five is the number of senators for life who might sit in the Senate elections: Senate - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held 24-25 February 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held 24-25 February 2013) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2), W. VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118, IdV 3), UdC 3, other 6; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8), W. VELTRONI coalition 246 (PD 217, IdV 29), UdC 36, other 4; note - President NAPOLITANO dissolved Parliament on 22 December 2012

National anthem

name: "Il Canto degli Italiani" (The Song of the Italians) lyrics/music: Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO note: adopted 1946; the anthem, originally written in 1847, is also known as "L'Inno di Mameli" (Mameli's Hymn), and "Fratelli D'Italia" (Brothers of Italy)

National holiday

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

National symbol(s)

white, five-pointed star (Stella d'Italia)

Political parties and leaders

Center-Right: People of Freedom or PdL [Anelino ALFANO] Center-Left: Democratic Party or PD [Pier Luigi BERSAN] Centrist Third Pole: Future and Freedom for Italy or FLI [Gianfranco FINI]; Movement for Autonomy or MpA [Raffaele LOMBARDO]; Union of the Center or UdC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI] no affiliation: Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]; Lega Nord or LN [Roberto MARONI]; Five Star Movment or M5S [Beppe GRILLO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

manufacturers and merchants associations - Confcommercio; Confindustria; organized farm groups - Confcoltivatori; Confagricoltura; Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations - Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Susanna CAMUSSO] which is left wing; Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNI], which is Roman Catholic centrist; Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)

Background

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, low youth and female employment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 13,865,688 females age 16-49: 14,003,755 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 11,247,446 females age 16-49: 11,348,695 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 288,188 female: 281,671 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Italian Armed Forces: Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2011)

Military expenditures

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 79

Military service age and obligation

18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch; 10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45 (Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,327,307/ female 4,138,369) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 19,883,114/ female 20,355,285) 65 years and over: 20.5% (male 5,350,173/ female 7,207,006) (2012 est.)

Birth rate

9.06 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 208

Death rate

9.93 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 54

Education expenditures

4.3% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 90

Ethnic groups

Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.3% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 83

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 1,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

140,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 34

Health expenditures

5.1% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 136

Hospital bed density

3.7 beds/1,000 population (2008)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.36 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 215 male: 3.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

Languages

Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 81.86 years country comparison to the world: 10 male: 79.24 years female: 84.63 years (2012 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 98.8% female: 98% (2001 census)

Major cities - population

ROME (capital) 3.357 million; Milan 2.962 million; Naples 2.27 million; Turin 1.662 million; Palermo 872,000 (2009)

Maternal mortality rate

4 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 180

Median age

total: 43.8 years male: 42.7 years female: 45 years (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Italian(s) adjective: Italian

Net migration rate

4.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 22

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

9.8% (2005) country comparison to the world: 56

Physicians density

4.242 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

Population

61,261,254 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 23

Population growth rate

0.38% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 157

Religions

Christian 80% (overwhelming Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehova Witnesses and Protestants), Muslims NEGL (about 700,000 but growing), Atheists and Agnostics 20%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2008)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.4 children born/woman (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 204

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 25.4% country comparison to the world: 27 male: 23.3% female: 28.7% (2009)

Urbanization

urban population: 68% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa

Illicit drugs

important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling

Airports

130 (2012) country comparison to the world: 43

Airports - with paved runways

total: 99 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 12 (2012)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 19 (2012)

Heliports

5 (2012)

Merchant marine

total: 681 country comparison to the world: 17 by type: bulk carrier 105, cargo 42, carrier 1, chemical tanker 164, container 21, liquefied gas 28, passenger 25, passenger/cargo 154, petroleum tanker 59, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 39, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 30 foreign-owned: 90 (Denmark 4, France 2, Greece 7, Luxembourg 14, Netherlands 2, Nigeria 1, Norway 6, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 13, Taiwan 10, Turkey 4, UK 2, US 23) registered in other countries: 201 (Bahamas 1, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 7, Cyprus 6, Georgia 2, Gibraltar 4, Greece 5, Liberia 47, Malta 45, Marshall Islands 1, Morocco 1, Netherlands 6, Panama 25, Portugal 12, Russia 14, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Singapore 5, Slovakia 2, Spain 1, Sweden 5, Turkey 1, UK 3, unknown 1) (2010)

Pipelines

gas 18,348 km; oil 1,241 km (2010)

Ports and terminals

Augusta, Cagliari, Genoa, Livorno, Taranto, Trieste, Venice oil terminals: Melilli (Santa Panagia) oil terminal, Sarroch oil terminal

Railways

total: 20,255 km country comparison to the world: 13 standard gauge: 18,611 km 1.435-m gauge (12,662 km electrified) narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1,290 km 0.950-m gauge (151 km electrified); 231 km 0.850-m gauge (2008)

Roadways

total: 487,700 km country comparison to the world: 13 paved: 487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2007)

Waterways

2,400 km (used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail) (2012) country comparison to the world: 37