ROME: Poverty rates in Italy, whose economy has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic, rose last year to the highest level since records begun in 2005, official data showed Thursday.

The ranks of people in absolute poverty swelled by more than one million in 2020, to 5.6 million, out of a total population of around 60 million.

The number of households viewed as poor — where they cannot afford basic living necessities, including food — rose from 1.7 to 2 million, Italian statistics office Istat said.

In percentage terms, 9.4 per cent of individuals and 7.7 per cent of households were classed as poor — the highest level since the data series began.

In 2005, only three to four percent of Italian households and individuals were in absolute poverty, Istat said.

The rate jumped after 2011, when Italy suffered a major debt crisis, and has remained relatively high since then.