Italian National Institute of Statistics, ISTAT, stated: “In 2019, the flow of expatriates to the United Kingdom reached a record number of 31,000. This was up 49 percent compared to 2018. It also surpassed the peak of 25,000 expatriates in 2016.”

The statistics showed that in the ‘transition period’, that ended on 31 December 2020, many Italians made their position official by transferring their residence to the United Kingdom.

The Italians that did so were probably already overseas, but not yet registered as official residents of the UK.

Overall, the number of Italians moving abroad is still increasing.

In 2019, emigration amounted to just under 180,000.

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The region from which most Italians emigrate is Lombardy.

Lombardy is in the north of the country.

For regions where most Italians are likely to emigrate from, after Lombardy, comes Sicily then Veneto.

The regions with the lowest emigration rate are Tuscany, Liguria, and Lazio.

These regions have values of approximately 1.7 emigrants for every thousand people.

Italy is one of the four main economies of the EU.

However, the coronavirus pandemic has hit the country hard.

Slow growth within the euro-zone and the huge economic impact of the coronavirus has affected the nation’s ability to make an economic recovery.

Additional reporting by Maria Ortega.