View of Rome, Italy. File photoROME, Jun 15 About 5.6 million Italians live in «absolute» poverty, the highest recorded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Statistical Institute said on Wednesday (Istat). Official statistics in Italy distinguish between «absolute» and «relative» poverty. At the same time, experts understand “absolute” poverty as a situation in which people cannot afford to purchase basic goods and services “necessary to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living.” During 2020, due to the economic consequences of the pandemic, more than 1 million Italians suddenly found themselves in conditions of «absolute» poverty. According to experts, this was a negative record for the last 15 years. Then, for the first time, the number of Italian families belonging to this category exceeded 2 million. According to the latest Istat data, about 1.9 million families live in «absolute» poverty in the Apennines, which is 7.5% of their total number. However, the number of citizens deprived of the opportunity to purchase basic goods and services remained the same — about 5.6 million people (about 9.4% of the country's population). In addition, according to official statistics, approximately 1.4 minors (14.2%) are classified as «absolutely» poor. filled with hatred.» Europe announces new threat
