Italy extends far beyond its national borders. Italian citizens, emigrants and their descendants have created communities on every continent, carrying with them regional traditions, family histories, dialects, food, music and an enduring attachment to their country of origin.
Today, approximately 6.4 million Italian citizens live outside Italy. The wider Italian diaspora is much larger, encompassing tens of millions of people whose parents, grandparents or earlier ancestors left Italy in search of work, security and opportunity.
Some preserve a direct legal connection through Italian citizenship. Others identify as Italian American, Italian Argentine, Italian Brazilian, Italian Canadian, Italian Australian or through similar combinations of Italian heritage and local identity.
Together, they form a diverse international community—not a single, uniform version of “Italy abroad.”
From Mass Emigration to a Global Italian Community
Italian emigration occurred over several distinct periods.
Between the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, millions left a newly unified Italy. Poverty, limited access to land, unemployment and population growth encouraged families to seek new lives overseas.
The United States, Argentina and Brazil became major destinations. Others settled in Canada, Uruguay, Venezuela and Australia. Within Europe, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom attracted large numbers of Italian workers.
Migration continued after the Second World War. Italians worked in factories, mines, construction, agriculture, restaurants and small family businesses. Many initially expected to return home, but instead established permanent communities abroad.
These migrants did more than adapt to their new countries. They helped transform them.
Italian workers contributed to industrial and urban growth, while Italian entrepreneurs established businesses that became local institutions. Artists, scientists, builders, musicians, designers, athletes and restaurateurs introduced elements of Italian culture into everyday life around the world.
For historical records, passenger lists and help tracing an Italian family, visit our Italian Genealogy section.
How Many Italians Live Abroad Today?
According to ISTAT, approximately 6.4 million Italian citizens were living abroad at the end of 2024.
More than half resided in Europe. Around 2.1 million lived in Central and South America, particularly in countries with long-established Italian communities such as Argentina and Brazil. North America was home to approximately 480,000 Italian citizens, while smaller but growing populations lived in Oceania and Asia.
These figures count Italian citizens living abroad, not every person with Italian ancestry. The total population of Italian descent is therefore much greater.
A person may feel strongly Italian without holding an Italian passport, while another may possess citizenship through birth or descent despite having never lived in Italy. Identity across the diaspora is shaped by family, language, citizenship, region, generation and personal experience.
Countries With Important Italian Communities
Argentina
Argentina has one of the strongest Italian cultural legacies anywhere outside Italy. Italian immigration profoundly influenced the country’s language, food, family names, architecture and social customs.
Many Argentines have Italian ancestry, often connected to regions including Piedmont, Liguria, Calabria, Campania and Sicily. Italian citizenship by descent has also helped maintain formal ties between the two countries.
Brazil
Large numbers of Italians settled in Brazil beginning in the late nineteenth century, especially in São Paulo and the southern states.
Italian immigrants became involved in agriculture, manufacturing, commerce and urban development. Communities in São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná and Espírito Santo continue to celebrate Italian regional heritage.
United States
Italian immigration transformed cities including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco and New Orleans, as well as smaller industrial and mining communities.
Italian Americans created mutual-aid societies, churches, newspapers, cultural institutions and neighborhood businesses. Later generations entered virtually every area of American public life while continuing to celebrate Italian food, religious feasts, family traditions and regional origins.
Italia Mia also offers guides to Italian-American organizations and culture and a dedicated community for people interested in meeting Italian singles.
Canada
Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and several smaller Canadian cities have important Italian populations. Postwar immigrants played a particularly significant role in construction, manufacturing, retail, food production and community life.
Italian cultural centers, newspapers, radio programs, festivals and social clubs continue to connect different generations.
Australia
Italian migration to Australia grew substantially after the Second World War. Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth became important centers of Italian life.
Italian Australians influenced agriculture, construction, food, coffee culture, wine production and the arts. Numerous associations continue to preserve local and regional identities.
Europe
Italy’s closest neighbors have long attracted Italian workers and families. France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom all have substantial Italian communities.
Contemporary movement within the European Union has added a new generation of professionals, students, researchers, tradespeople and entrepreneurs. Unlike earlier migration, today’s Italians may move between several countries while remaining closely connected to Italy through inexpensive travel and digital communication.
The New Italian Emigration
Italian emigration is not only a historical phenomenon.
Young graduates, researchers, healthcare professionals, skilled workers, artists and entrepreneurs continue to leave Italy. Their reasons vary: better salaries, professional advancement, international experience, education or a different quality of life.
Modern emigrants communicate with relatives instantly, follow Italian media online and return more frequently than earlier generations could. Yet they face familiar challenges: learning another language, building relationships, understanding bureaucracy and balancing two cultures.
The phrase “brain drain” is often used when highly educated Italians move abroad. However, not every departure is permanent. Some return to Italy with new skills, contacts and experience, while others create professional networks connecting Italy with their adopted countries.
Regional Identity Abroad
Italian identity overseas has traditionally been intensely regional.
Earlier immigrants often identified first as Sicilian, Calabrian, Neapolitan, Venetian, Friulian, Ligurian or Piedmontese. People from the same village frequently settled near one another and created societies devoted to a patron saint, hometown or region.
These associations offered practical assistance, employment contacts and companionship. They also preserved recipes, dialects, religious celebrations and folk traditions that sometimes changed or disappeared in Italy itself.
Today, regional heritage remains visible in festivals and social clubs. Yet younger generations increasingly combine it with a broader sense of Italian identity.
Language and Cultural Identity
The Italian spoken within diaspora communities does not always correspond to contemporary standard Italian.
First-generation emigrants frequently spoke a regional language or dialect. Their children might understand family expressions without becoming fluent, while later generations may study standard Italian at school, university or an Italian cultural institute.
Food is often the most persistent cultural connection. Recipes passed through families help preserve memories of specific towns and regions. However, dishes naturally evolve as ingredients, tastes and circumstances change.
This is why Italian-American, Italian-Argentine and Italian-Australian cuisines should be understood as diaspora traditions in their own right—not simply as imperfect copies of food prepared in Italy.
Religious festivals, music, family gatherings, football clubs, Italian-language media and travel to ancestral towns provide additional ways of maintaining a connection.
AIRE: Registration for Italian Citizens Abroad
The Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero, known as AIRE, is the official register of Italian citizens who reside outside Italy.
Italian citizens who establish their habitual residence abroad for more than twelve months are generally required to register. AIRE registration is free and is normally requested through the appropriate Italian consulate, including through the government’s FAST IT portal.
Registration helps citizens access consular services, renew documents and exercise voting rights where applicable. It also allows Italian authorities to maintain more accurate information about citizens living overseas.
Because requirements can change and individual circumstances differ, citizens should consult the official AIRE information provided by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their competent consulate.
COMITES and the CGIE
Italian citizens abroad have formal representative institutions.
COMITES are committees elected by Italian citizens within qualifying consular districts. They communicate community needs, encourage social and cultural initiatives and cooperate with consular authorities.
The General Council of Italians Abroad—the CGIE—acts as an advisory body on important matters affecting Italians outside the country.
These institutions are distinct from private cultural associations. Their work relates specifically to representation and the relationship between citizens abroad and the Italian state.
Italian Consulates and Cultural Institutes
Embassies and consulates provide official services involving citizenship, passports, civil records, voting and assistance to Italian nationals. The correct office generally depends on the applicant’s place of residence.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides official information and access to Italy’s diplomatic-consular network.
Italian Cultural Institutes promote Italian language and culture through courses, exhibitions, lectures, concerts, cinema and academic cooperation. The worldwide network can be explored through the official Italian Cultural Institutes portal.
The Società Dante Alighieri also operates through committees around the world, promoting the Italian language and cultural exchange.
Notable Organizations Serving Italian Communities
The following organizations provide cultural programs, education, professional networking, advocacy or historical resources. This is a selective list rather than a complete directory.
United States
- National Italian American Foundation – Promotes Italian-American heritage, education, public affairs and connections between Italy and the United States.
- Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America – A longstanding national organization supporting Italian-American culture, education and community initiatives.
- UNICO National – An Italian-American service organization supporting charitable, educational and cultural programs.
- Columbus Citizens Foundation – Organizes cultural and educational programs and New York’s annual Columbus Celebration.
- Italian American Writers Association – Encourages the writing, publication and study of Italian-American literature.
- National Italian American Bar Association – A professional organization serving the Italian-American legal community.
- Italian American Museum of Los Angeles – Documents and interprets the history and contributions of Italian Americans.
- Italian American Museum in New York – Preserves the history and experiences of Italian immigration in the United States.
Canada
- National Congress of Italian Canadians – Represents and promotes the interests and heritage of Italian Canadians.
- Columbus Centre – A Toronto cultural center offering Italian-oriented programs, events and community services.
Australia
- Co.As.It. Melbourne – Provides cultural, educational and community services while preserving the history of Italian migration.
- Co.As.It. Sydney – Supports Italian Australians through language, cultural, welfare and educational programs.
- Italian Historical Society – Preserves records, photographs and personal histories documenting Italian migration to Australia.
United Kingdom and Europe
- COMITES London – Represents Italian citizens within its consular jurisdiction and supports community initiatives.
- Italian Cultural Institute of London – Presents Italian arts, culture and language in the United Kingdom.
- Italian Cultural Institute of Paris – Promotes Italian culture and cooperation in France.
Local COMITES, cultural institutes, chambers of commerce, regional associations and Dante Alighieri committees can be found in many additional countries.
Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad
Italian chambers of commerce abroad support business relationships, trade and professional connections between Italy and other countries.
They are particularly useful for entrepreneurs, companies seeking international partners and professionals entering a foreign market. The Assocamerestero network provides access to recognized Italian chambers operating worldwide.
These organizations have a commercial purpose and should not be confused with consulates, cultural institutes or community representative bodies.
Researching an Italian Family Abroad
Genealogical research often begins with information already present within the family:
- Complete names, including women’s birth surnames
- Approximate dates and places of birth
- Names of parents and spouses
- Passenger manifests and naturalization documents
- Marriage, death and church records
- Letters, photographs and family certificates
- The Italian municipality, or comune, from which an ancestor departed
Knowing the comune is especially important because many civil records are held locally.
Italy’s official Antenati Portal provides digitized civil records from participating State Archives. FamilySearch and the Statue of Liberty–Ellis Island Foundation may provide additional immigration and passenger information.
Names and dates should always be checked across several documents. Spellings were frequently altered, misunderstood or adapted after immigration.
Visiting Italy to Explore Your Roots
A journey to an ancestral town can create a connection that documents alone cannot provide.
Before traveling, contact the local comune, parish or archive to determine whether records are available and whether an appointment is necessary. Small municipal offices may have limited hours, and older parish registers may not be digitized.
Travelers should also remember that a family surname does not guarantee that living residents will know the family history. Bring copies of documents and approach local officials and residents respectfully.
If you need accommodation while researching your family’s region, you can compare hotels and local stays through Trip.com. For background reading, browse books about Italian genealogy and immigration on Amazon.
A Living, Evolving Identity
Italian identity abroad is not frozen in the year an ancestor left Italy.
Each generation interprets its heritage differently. For some, the connection is citizenship and language. For others, it is a family recipe, surname, religious celebration, regional club or emotional attachment to a town they have never seen.
Contemporary Italian communities also reflect changing ideas about family, work and belonging. They include recent emigrants, descendants of historical migration, dual citizens, Italian-speaking families and people rediscovering an identity that earlier generations felt pressured to hide.
What unites them is not a single definition of “being Italian,” but an evolving relationship with Italy and with the experiences of Italians who built lives elsewhere.
External Resources
- ISTAT: Italians Residing Abroad
- Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Services for Italians Abroad
- AIRE Information
- COMITES
- Italian Cultural Institutes
- Antenati: Italian Archives for Genealogical Research
- Museo Nazionale dell’Emigrazione Italiana