Background: 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 is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC) and its subsequent successors the EC and the EU. It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.

Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N, 12 50 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Land: 294,140 km²
Water: 7,200 km²
Rank: 73
Comparative: almost twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries
Total: 1836.4 km
Border countries: (5) Austria 404 km; , France 476 km; , Holy See (Vatican City) 3.4 km; , San Marino 37 km; , Slovenia 218 km; , Switzerland 698 km

Coastline: 7,600 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Elevation
Mean elevation: 538 m
Elevation extremes: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea

Natural resources: coal, antimony, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 47.1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 31.4% (2011 est.)
Other: 21.5% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 39,500 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venicevolcanism: significant volcanic activity; Etna (3,330 m), which is in eruption as of 2010, is Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to nearby Sicilian villages; Etna, along with the famous Vesuvius, which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the Bay of Naples area, have both been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Stromboli, on its namesake island, has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Larderello, Pantelleria, Vulcano, and Vulsini

Geography
Note: strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

Population
Distribution: despite a distinctive pattern with an industrial north and an agrarian south, a fairly even population distribution exists throughout most of the country, with coastal areas, the Po River Valley, and urban centers (particularly Milan, Rome, and Naples), attracting larger and denser populations: 62,246,674 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 23
Growth rate: 0.16% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 183
Below poverty line: 29.9% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Italian(s)
Adjective: Italian

Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

Languages: Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Religions: Christian 80% (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants), Muslim (about 800,000 to 1 million), atheist and agnostic 20%

Age structure
0-14 years: 13.6% (male 4,326,862 /female 4,136,562)
15-24 years: 9.61% (male 2,994,651 /female 2,984,172)
25-54 years: 41.82% (male 12,845,442 /female 13,183,240)
55-64 years: 13.29% (male 4,012,640 /female 4,261,956)
65 years and over: 21.69% (male 5,817,819 /female 7,683,330) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 56.5 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 21.5 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 35 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 2.9 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 45.8 years
Male: 44.7 years
Female: 46.9 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 5

Population growth rate: 0.16% (2018 est.)
Rank: 183

Birth rate: 8.5 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 216

Death rate: 10.5 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 28

Net migration rate: 3.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 31

Population distribution: despite a distinctive pattern with an industrial north and an agrarian south, a fairly even population distribution exists throughout most of the country, with coastal areas, the Po River Valley, and urban centers (particularly Milan, Rome, and Naples), attracting larger and denser populations

Urbanization
Urban population: 70.4% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.29% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 4.21 million ROME (capital), 3.132 million Milan, 2.198 million Naples, 1.786 million Turin, 874,000 Bergamo, 854,000 Palermo (2018)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 30.7 years (2014 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.2 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 3.4 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 3 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 210

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.4 years (2018 est.)
Male: 79.7 years (2018 est.)
Female: 85.2 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 15

Total fertility rate: 1.45 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 206

Contraceptive prevalence rate:

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 4.02 physicians/1000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density: 3.4 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.5% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 0.4% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 0.5% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 96
People living with hivaids: 130,000 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 36
Deaths note: <1000 (2017 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 19.9% (2016)
Rank: 108

Education expenditures: 4.1% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 107

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Total population: 99.2% (2015 est.)
Male: 99.4% (2015 est.)
Female: 99% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years (2014)
Male: 16 years (2014)
Female: 17 years (2014)

Country name
Conventional long form: Italian Republic
Conventional short form: Italy
Local long form: Repubblica Italiana
Local short form: Italia
Former: Kingdom of Italy
Etymology: derivation is unclear, but the Latin Italia may come from the Oscan Viteliu meaning [Land] of Young Cattle (the bull was a symbol of southern Italic tribes)

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Rome
Geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1871)

National holiday: Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Constitution
History: previous 1848 (originally for the Kingdom of Sardinia and adopted by the Kingdom of Italy in 1861); latest enacted 22 December 1947, adopted 27 December 1947, entered into force 1 January 1948 (2017)
Amendments: proposed by both houses of Parliament; passage requires two successive debates and approval by absolute majority of each house on the second vote; a referendum is only required when requested by one-fifth of the members of either house, by voter petition, or by five Regional Councils (elected legislative assemblies of the 15 first-level administrative regions and 5 autonomous regions of Italy); referendum not required if an amendment has been approved by a two-thirds majority in each house in the second vote; amended many times, last in 2012; note - a referendum held on 4 December 2016 on constitutional amendments was defeated (2017)

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislation under certain conditions in Constitutional Court

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Italy
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years for EU nationals, 5 years for refugees and specified exceptions, 10 years for all others

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Sergio MATTARELLA (since 3 February 2015)
Head of government: Prime Minister Giuseppe CONTE (since 1 June 2018); the prime ministers official title is President of the Council of Ministers
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, known officially as the President of the Council of Ministers and locally as the Premier; nominated by the president
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 31 January 2015 (next to be held in 2022); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by parliament
Election results: Sergio MATTARELLA (PD) elected president; electoral college vote count in fourth round - 665 out of 1,009 (505-vote threshold)

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Cassation or Corte Suprema di Cassazione consists of the first president (chief justice), deputy president, 54 justices presiding over 6 civil and 7 criminal divisions, and 288 judges; an additional 30 judges of lower courts serve as supporting judges; cases normally heard by 5-judge panels; more complex cases heard by 9-judge panels; Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (consists of the court president and 14 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Council of the Judiciary, headed by the president of the republic; judges may serve for life; Constitutional Court judges - 5 appointed by the president, 5 elected by parliament, 5 elected by select higher courts; judges serve up to 9 years
Subordinate courts: various lower civil and criminal courts (primary and secondary tribunals, courts, and courts of appeal)

Political parties and leaders: Ruling left-center-right coalition: Civic Choice or SC [Enrico ZANETTI];

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Armando VARRICCHIO (since 2 March 2016)
In the us chancery: 3,000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 612-4,400
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 518-2,151
In the us consulate:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lewis EISENBERG (since 4 October 2017); note - also accredited to San Marino
From the us embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome
From the us mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 9,624
From the us telephone: [39] 06-4,674-1
From the us FAX: [39] 06-488-2,672
From the us consulate: Florence, Milan, Naples

Flag description:

National symbols: white, five-pointed star (Stella d'Italia); national colors: red, white, green

National anthem
Name: Il Canto degli Italiani (The Song of the Italians)
Lyricsmusic: Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO: note: adopted 1946; the anthem, originally written in 1847, is also known as 'L'Inno di Mameli' (Mameli's Hymn), and 'Fratelli D'Italia' (Brothers of Italy)

Economy overview: Italy’s economy comprises a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, highly subsidized, agricultural south, with a legacy of unemployment and underdevelopment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises, many of them family-owned. Italy also has a sizable underground economy, which by some estimates accounts for as much as 17% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture, construction, and service sectors.Italy is the third-largest economy in the euro zone, but its exceptionally high public debt and structural impediments to growth have rendered it vulnerable to scrutiny by financial markets. Public debt has increased steadily since 2007, reaching 131% of GDP in 2017. Investor concerns about Italy and the broader euro-zone crisis eased in 2013, bringing down Italy's borrowing costs on sovereign government debt from euro-era records. The government still faces pressure from investors and European partners to sustain its efforts to address Italy's longstanding structural economic problems, including labor market inefficiencies, a sluggish judicial system, and a weak banking sector. Italy’s economy returned to modest growth in late 2014 for the first time since 2011. In 2015-16, Italy’s economy grew at about 1% each year, and in 2017 growth accelerated to 1.5% of GDP. In 2017, overall unemployment was 11.4%, but youth unemployment remained high at 37.1%. GDP growth is projected to slow slightly in 2018.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 12

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 171

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 50

Gross national saving:
Rank: 95

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 61% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 18.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 17.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 31.4% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -28.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.1% (2017 est.)
Industry: 23.9% (2017 est.)
Services: 73.9% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2017 est.)
Rank: 128

Labor force: 25.94 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 24
By occupation agriculture: 3.9%
By occupation industry: 28.3%
By occupation services: 67.8% (2011)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 153

Population below poverty line: 29.9% (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 26.8% (2000)
Highest 10: 26.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 121

Budget
Revenues: 903.3 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 948.1 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 111

Taxes and other revenues: 46.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 20

Public debt:
Rank: 5

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 68

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 139

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 174

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 6

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 6

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 6

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 20

Current account balance:
Rank: 9

Exports:
Rank: 9
Partners: Germany 12.5%, France 10.3%, US 9%, Spain 5.2%, UK 5.2%, Switzerland 4.6% (2017)
Commodities: engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco; minerals, nonferrous metals

Imports:
Rank: 13
Commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, tobacco
Partners: Germany 16.3%, France 8.8%, China 7.1%, Netherlands 5.6%, Spain 5.3%, Belgium 4.5% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 16

Debt external:
Rank: 9

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 17

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 15

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 275.3 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 14
Consumption: 293.5 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 13
Exports: 6.155 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 30
Imports: 43.18 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 2
Installed generating capacity: 114.2 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 10
Generation sources fossil fuels: 54% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 143
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 114
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 14% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 106
Generation sources other renewable sources: 32% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 14

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 77,530 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 45
Crude oil exports: 13,790 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 57
Crude oil imports: 1.341 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 7
Crude oil proven reserves: 487.8 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 45

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.607 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 12
Products consumption: 1.236 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 19
Products exports: 615,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 13
Products imports: 422,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 19

Natural gas
Production: 5.55 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 50
Consumption: 75.15 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 11
Exports: 271.8 million m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 44
Imports: 69.66 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 5
Proven reserves: 38.11 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 65

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 351 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 20

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 20,700,659 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 12
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 83,871,543 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 135 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 19

Telephone system
General assessment: modern, well-developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services; highest mobile penetration rates in Europe; leading edge of development with 5G; government selects operators for 5G trials in five cities (2017)
Domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks; 33 per 100 for fixed-line and 135 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2017)
International: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables provide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; Global Cloud Xchange building the EAGLE submarine cable system linking Italy to Hong Kong; (2017)

Broadcast media: two Italian media giants dominate - the publicly owned Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) with 3 national terrestrial stations and privately owned Mediaset with 3 national terrestrial stations; a large number of private stations and Sky Italia - a satellite TV network; RAI operates 3 AM/FM nationwide radio stations; about 1,300 commercial radio stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .it
Users total: 38,025,661 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 61.3% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 18

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 16,586,376 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 27 (2017 est.)
Rank: 12

Military expenditures:
Rank: 105

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in any military branch; Italian citizenship required; 1-year service obligation (2013)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 9 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 382 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 26,036,010 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 945,433,732
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: I (2016)

Airports: 129 (2013)
Rank: 45
With paved runways total: 98 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 9 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 31 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 18 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 29 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 11 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 31 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 10 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 20 (2013)

Heliports: 5 (2013)

Pipelines: 20,223 km gas, 1393 km oil, 1574 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 20,182 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 18,770 km
Note: 1.000-m gauge (122.3 km electrified) (2014)
Narrow gauge: 122.3 km: 1289.3 0.950-m gauge (151.3 km electrified)
Rank: 14

Roadways
Total: 487,700 km (2007)
Paved: 487,700 km
Note: (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2007)
Rank: 15

Waterways: 2,400 km
Note: (used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail) (2012)
Rank: 36

Merchant marine
Total: 1430 (2017)
By type: bulk carrier 65, container ship 10, general cargo 145, oil tanker 135, other 1075 (2017)
Rank: 20

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Augusta, Cagliari, Genoa, Livorno, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
Oil terminal: Melilli (Santa Panagia) oil terminal, Sarroch oil terminal
Container port: Genoa (2,297,917), Gioia Tauro (2,797,000) (2016)
LNG terminal: La Spezia, Panigaglia, Porto Levante

Disputes international: Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 17,171 (Afghanistan), 18,026 (Nigeria), 15,966 (Pakistan), 15,641 (Somalia), 13,206 (Mali), 10,273 (Gambia), 7,940 (Eritrea), 6,412 (Cote dIvoire) (2017), 6,197 (Senegal), 12,535 (Ukraine) (2018) note - estimate represents asylum applicants since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 to September 2017
Stateless persons: 715 (2017): note: 477,853 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals by sea (January 2015-December 2018); hosts an estimated 155,619 migrants and asylum seekers as of the end of September 2018; 119,369 arrivals in 2017

Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling