| Country summary | |
|---|---|
|
Capital |
Rome |
|
Borders |
Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km |
|
Government type |
republic |
|
Population |
58,126,212 (July 2010 est.)[1] |
|
Population growth % |
-0.05 (2010 est.)[1] |
|
Life expectancy |
80.2 years[1] |
|
Unemployment |
7.7% (2009 est.)[1] |
|
74[2] | |
|
63[3] | |
|
78[4] | |
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 was 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 illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.[1]
Economical characteristics[]
- Currency: Euro (ISO code: EUR)
- Central bank discount rate: 3% (31 December 2008)[1]
- Commercial banks lending rate: 11.34% (31 December 2008)[1]
- is part of the Eurozone
Statistics[]
| Statistic / Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (million USD)[5] | 1 200 820 | 1 097 340 | 1 117 360 | 1 218 920 | 1 507 170 | 1 727 750 | 1 777 740 | 1 863 480 | 2 114 470 | 2 303 080 |
| Govt. debt (% of GDP)[6] | 124.544 | 119.389 | 118.521 | 115.771 | 111.353 | 111.128 | 112.576 | 108.443 | 103.933 | 106.321 |
| Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[7] | 39.125 | 37.159 | 36.867 | 36.183 | 36.167 | 35.675 | 35.356 | 36.889 | 37.601 | 37.490 |
| Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[8] | 40.449 | 39.176 | 39.913 | 39.254 | 39.518 | 38.659 | 39.169 | 39.599 | 39.365 | 40.142 |
| Debt to revenue (years) | 3.183 | 3.213 | 3.215 | 3.200 | 3.079 | 3.115 | 3.184 | 2.940 | 2.764 | 2.836 |
References[]
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 CIA - The World Facebook. "Italy", from The World Facebook. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Heritage Foundation. "Italy", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Transparency International. "Italy", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Doing Business. "Italy", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "Italy: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "Italy: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "Italy: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "Italy: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
External links[]
- Italy on Wikipedia
- Central bank of Italy
- BBC country profile
- Mafia cash in on lucrative EU wind farm handouts - especially in Sicily Nick Squires and Nick Meo, September 2010