Afro Italians
Total population
1,096,089[1]
Regions with significant populations
Rome, Milan, Turin, Palermo, Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo, Florence
Languages
Italian, Afro-Asiatic languages, Niger–Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholicism, also Orthodox, Other Christians · Sunni Islam

African emigrants to Italy include Italian citizens and residents originally from Africa. Immigrants from Africa officially residing in Italy in 2015 numbered about 1,000,000 residents.[1] Afro-Italians (Afroitaliani) are born and are raised in Italy, citizen of African descent or of mixed African and Italian roots.

In 2014 over 170,000 migrants arrived which represented the biggest influx of people into one country in European Union history.[2] A large percentage of them arrive via Africa.

African migrants specifically use Libyan coasts to travel across the Mediterranean Sea in large numbers, hoping to land on Italian shores.[2] Although departing from Libya, most are from Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and Eritrea.[2] The route is dangerous and often unsuccessful; in 2015, 2,000 people died crossing the Mediterranean and the Libyan coast guard intercepted many of the boats transporting the migrants from Africa to Italy.[2] As this route has gained more and more attention throughout the years, smugglers have started to use alternate routes such as Egypt, the Balkan route from Greece, and a very risky route from mountain passes in Albania.[3]

In 2016, Italy's finance minister pushed for financial compensation from the European Union for his country's financial losses because of mass migration.[3] As of 2016, the European Union had put forth 1.8 billion euros for the entirety of Africa's refugee efforts in Europe.[4]

Countries of origin

North Africa

The largest group of immigrants from Africa are Arabs/Berbers from North Africa, numbering 641,085 official residents in 2016.[1] By country of origin, most of these recent arrivals are from Morocco (437,485), Tunisia (95,645), Egypt (109,871) and Algeria (71,765). Italy also has a number of immigrants from Libya (1,819), territories where Italian expatriates had a presence during the colonial period.

Sub-Saharan Africans

A group of black African men sitting or squatting on a low bench next to a glass wall in a large city square. In the rear can be seen a street with a tall rectilinear skyscraper
Ghanaian immigrants in Milan

Compared to Maghrebis/Berbers from North Africa, the percentage of Sub-Saharan Africans as a proportion of immigrants to Italy from Africa is 35.7% (370,068 official residents in 2015).[1] Most come from Nigeria (98,176), Senegal (77,264) and Ghana (48,637). There are also smaller numbers from Eritrea (9,579), from Ethiopia (8,000) and from Somalia (7,903).

Notable immigrants to Italy

The following is a list of notable people of African birth who later immigrated to Italy and resided there, either wholly or at least part time.

Sports

Politicians

Music

Communications and other media

Acting, television and filmmaking

Community activists

  • Josephine Bakhita (c. 1869–1947), Catholic religious sister, born in Sudan; declared a saint by the Catholic Church in 2000
  • Michele Amatore (1826 - 1883), born in Sudan, enslaved in childhood, later freed and established in Italy; soldier and sharpshooter in Piedmontese army, attaining rank of captain. Decorated for distinguished service in Sicily during a cholera epidemic.
  • Adel Smith (1960–2014), controversial Italian anti-Christian activist. Born Emilio Smith in Alexandria, Egypt to an Italian father and an Egyptian mother; raised in Italy as a Catholic, he later converted to Islam

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dati ISTAT 2016. "Cittadini stranieri in Italia - 2016". tuttitalia.it.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 "African migrants: What really drives them to Europe?". Al Jazeera. 6 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 Adler, Katya (April 19, 2016). "Mass migration threatens national crisis in Italy". BBC News – via www.bbc.com.
  4. ↑ "European Union/African Cooperation: the externalisation of Europe's migration policies". www.robert-schuman.eu.
  5. ↑ Fikes, Robert (2015-11-29). "Leone Jacovacci (1902–1983)". Black Past. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
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