For the first time, the number of students with non-Italian citizenship in Italian schools decreased from 877,000 in the 2019/2020 school year to 865,388 in the 2020/2021 school year (-1.3%). This is revealed in the Ministry of Education's new report on pupils with non-Italian citizenship, which presents data on the distribution in schools and classes of children with an immigrant background, their countries of origin and other aspects.

According to the publication, pupils with an immigrant background are predominantly second-generation students, i.e. born in Italy to non-Italian parents. The proportion of foreign pupils born in Italy is 66.7%.

The 2020/2021 data confirm a higher concentration of students with non-Italian citizenship in the northern regions (65.3%), followed by the central regions (22.2%) and finally, the south (12.5%).

Pupils with an immigrant background originate from almost 200 countries worldwide, but the majority, i.e. 44.95%, are still, as in the past, of European origin, although there has been a slight decrease. This was followed by students from Africa (26.9%) and Asia (20.2%).

The report is available on the Ministry of Education website, in the "Publications" section.

Other materials and news can be found on this website under Education and Immigrant children, which can be accessed from the "Topics" navigation menu.