{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "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). 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."
    }
  },
  "Geography": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "42 50 N, 12 50 E"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Europe"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total": {
        "text": "301,340 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "294,140 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "7,200 sq km"
      },
      "note": {
        "text": "includes Sardinia and Sicily"
      }
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "almost twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1,836.4 km"
      },
      "border countries": {
        "text": "Austria 404 km, France 476 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.4 km, San Marino 37 km, Slovenia 218 km, Switzerland 698 km"
      }
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "7,600 km"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "territorial sea": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      },
      "continental shelf": {
        "text": "200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "predominantly Mediterranean; alpine in far north; hot, dry in south"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "mean elevation": {
        "text": "538 m"
      },
      "elevation extremes": {
        "text": "lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m ++ highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "47.1% ++ arable land 22.8%; permanent crops 8.6%; permanent pasture 15.7%"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "31.4%"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "21.5% (2011 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "39,500 sq km (2012)"
    },
    "Population - distribution": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice",
      "volcanism": {
        "text": "significant volcanic activity; Etna (elev. 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"
      }
    },
    "Environment - current issues": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "Environment - international agreements": {
      "party to": {
        "text": "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"
      },
      "signed, but not ratified": {
        "text": "none of the selected agreements"
      }
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Population": {
      "text": "62,007,540 (July 2016 est.)"
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Italian(s)"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Italian"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "text": "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": {
      "text": "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": {
        "text": "13.69% (male 4,337,792/female 4,151,901)"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "9.74% (male 3,026,359/female 3,012,882)"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "42.46% (male 13,003,171/female 13,326,901)"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "12.73% (male 3,826,630/female 4,069,855)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "21.37% (male 5,696,612/female 7,555,437) (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "56.5%"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "21.5%"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "35.1%"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "2.9% (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "45.1 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "44 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "46.2 years (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "0.23% (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "8.7 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "3.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "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": {
        "text": "69% of total population (2015)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "0.39% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "ROME (capital) 3.718 million; Milan 3.099 million; Naples 2.202 million; Turin 1.765 million; Palermo 853,000; Bergamo 840,000 (2015)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.06 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "1 male(s)/female"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "0.98 male(s)/female"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "0.94 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.75 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "0.93 male(s)/female (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Mother's mean age at first birth": {
      "text": "30.3 (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Maternal mortality rate": {
      "text": "4 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "3.3 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "3.5 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "82.2 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "79.6 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "85 years (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "1.43 children born/woman (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Health expenditures": {
      "text": "9.2% of GDP (2014)"
    },
    "Physicians density": {
      "text": "3.76 physicians/1,000 population (2012)"
    },
    "Hospital bed density": {
      "text": "3.4 beds/1,000 population (2011)"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved": {
        "text": " ++ urban: 100% of population ++ rural: 100% of population ++ total: 100% of population"
      },
      "unimproved": {
        "text": " ++ urban: 0% of population ++ rural: 0% of population ++ total: 0% of population (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved": {
        "text": " ++ urban: 99.5% of population ++ rural: 99.6% of population ++ total: 99.5% of population"
      },
      "unimproved": {
        "text": " ++ urban: 0.5% of population ++ rural: 0.4% of population ++ total: 0.5% of population (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "0.37% (2015 est.)"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": {
      "text": "136,800 (2015 est.)"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - deaths": {
      "text": "700 (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "23.7% (2014)"
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "4.2% of GDP (2013)"
    },
    "Literacy": {
      "definition": {
        "text": "age 15 and over can read and write"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "99.2%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "99.4%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "99% (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "16 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "16 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "17 years (2013)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": {
      "total": {
        "text": "42.7%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "41.3%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "44.7% (2014 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "Italian Republic"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "Italy"
      },
      "local long form": {
        "text": "Repubblica Italiana"
      },
      "local short form": {
        "text": "Italia"
      },
      "former": {
        "text": "Kingdom of Italy"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "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": {
      "text": "parliamentary republic"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Rome"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "41 54 N, 12 29 E"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
      },
      "daylight saving time": {
        "text": "+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October"
      }
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma)",
      "regions": {
        "text": "Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Toscana (Tuscany), Umbria, Veneto (Venetia)"
      },
      "autonomous regions": {
        "text": "Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee d'Aoste (French)"
      }
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1871)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "Republic Day, 2 June (1946)"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "history": {
        "text": "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"
      },
      "amendments": {
        "text": "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); amended many times, last in 2012; note - a referendum held on 4 December 2016 on constitutional amendments was defeated (2016)"
      }
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "civil law system; judicial review of legislation under certain conditions in Constitutional Court"
    },
    "International law organization participation": {
      "text": "accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction"
    },
    "Citizenship": {
      "citizenship by birth": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "citizenship by descent only": {
        "text": "at least one parent must be a citizen of Italy"
      },
      "dual citizenship recognized": {
        "text": "yes"
      },
      "residency requirement for naturalization": {
        "text": "4 years for EU nationals, 5 years for refugees and specified exceptions, 10 years for all others"
      }
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "18 years of age; universal except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "President Sergio MATTARELLA (since 3 February 2015)"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "Prime Minister Paolo GENTILONI (since 12 December 2016); note - Prime Minister Matteo RENZI (since 22 February 2014) resigned 12 December 2016; the prime minister's official title is President of the Council of Ministers"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and nominated by the president"
      },
      "elections/appointments": {
        "text": "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 scheduled for 2020); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by parliament"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "Georgio MATTARELLA (PD) elected president; electoral college vote count in fourth round - 665 out of 1,009 (505-vote threshold); Paolo GENTILONI (PD) sworn in as prime minister on 12 December 2016"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "description": {
        "text": "bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (322 seats; 315 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms and 7 ex-officio members appointed by the president of the Republic to serve for life) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 629 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 1 member from Valle d'Aosta elected by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)"
      },
      "elections": {
        "text": "Senate - last held on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 24-25 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - center-left coalition 123 (PD 111, SEL 7, SVP 2, other 3), center-right coalition 117 (PdL 98, LN 18, other 1), M5S 54, centrist coalition 19, other 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - center-left coalition 345 (PD 297, SEL 37, CD 6 SVP 5), center-right coalition 125 (PdL 98, LN 18, FdI 9), M5S 109, centrist coalition 47, other 3"
      }
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest court(s)": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "various lower civil and criminal courts (primary and secondary tribunals, courts, and courts of appeal)"
      }
    },
    "Political parties and leaders": {
      "Ruling left-center-right coalition": {
        "text": " ++ Civic Choice or SC [Enrico ZANETTI] ++ Democratic Centre or CD [Bruno TABACCI] ++ Democratic Party or PD [Matteo RENZI] ++ The New Center-Right or NCD [Angelino ALFANO] ++ "
      },
      "Center-right opposition": {
        "text": " ++ Brothers of Italy-National Alliance or FdI-AN [Giorgia MELONI, Ignazio LA RUSSA, and Guido CROSETTO] ++ Forza Italia [Silvio BERLUSCONI] (formerly PdL) ++ Northern League or LN [Matteo SALVINI] ++ other minor parties ++ "
      },
      "Center-left opposition": {
        "text": " ++ Left Ecology Freedom [Nichi VENDOLA] ++ "
      },
      "Other parties": {
        "text": " ++ Civil Revolution or RC [Antonio INGROIA] ++ Five Star Movment or M5S [Beppe GRILLO] ++ South Tyrolean People's Party or SVP [Philipp ACHAMMER] ++ Union of the Center or UdC [Pier Fernando CASINI]"
      }
    },
    "Political pressure groups and leaders": {
      "text": "",
      "manufacturers and merchants associations": {
        "text": "Confcommercio ++ Confindustria"
      },
      "organized farm groups": {
        "text": "Confcoltivatori ++ Confagricoltura"
      },
      "major trade union confederations": {
        "text": "Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Susanna CAMUSSO] (left wing) ++ Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNI] (Roman Catholic centrist) ++ Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] (lay centrist)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "Roman Catholic Church"
      }
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "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": {
        "text": "Ambassador Armando VARRICCHIO (since 2 March 2016)"
      },
      "chancery": {
        "text": "3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 612-4400"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 518-2151"
      },
      "consulate(s) general": {
        "text": "Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco"
      },
      "consulate(s)": {
        "text": "Charlotte (NC), Cleveland (OH), Detroit (MI), Hattiesburg (MS), Honolulu (HI), New Orleans, Newark (NJ), Norfolk (VA), Pittsburgh (PA), Portland (OR), Seattle"
      },
      "consular agency(ies)": {
        "text": "Anchorage (AL), Charleston (SC), Worcester (MA)"
      }
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador John R. PHILLIPS (since 3 October 2013); note - also accredited to San Marino"
      },
      "embassy": {
        "text": "Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome"
      },
      "mailing address": {
        "text": "PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[39] (06) 46741"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[39] (06) 4674-2244"
      },
      "consulate(s) general": {
        "text": "Florence, Milan, Naples"
      },
      "consular agency(ies)": {
        "text": "Anchorage (AK), Charleston (SC), Worcester (MA)"
      }
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; design inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797; colors are those of Milan (red and white) combined with the green uniform color of the Milanese civic guard",
      "note": {
        "text": "similar to the flag of Mexico, which is longer, uses darker shades of red and green, and has its coat of arms centered on the white band; Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green"
      }
    },
    "National symbol(s)": {
      "text": "white, five-pointed star (Stella d'Italia); national colors: red, white, green"
    },
    "National anthem": {
      "name": {
        "text": "\"Il Canto degli Italiani\" (The Song of the Italians)"
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO"
      },
      "note": {
        "text": "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": {
    "Economy - overview": {
      "text": "Italy has a diversified economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, highly subsidized, agricultural south, where unemployment is higher. 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, topping 135% of GDP in 2015, but 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 impediments to growth, such as labor market inefficiencies and tax evasion. In 2014, economic growth and labor market conditions continued to deteriorate, with overall unemployment rising to 12.7% and youth unemployment around 40%, but Italy began to recover in 2015, with marginal growth and a slight reduction in unemployment."
    },
    "GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "text": "$2.221 trillion (2016 est.) ++ $2.204 trillion (2015 est.) ++ $2.187 trillion (2014 est.)",
      "note": {
        "text": "data are in 2016 dollars"
      }
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$1.852 trillion (2015 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - real growth rate": {
      "text": "0.8% (2016 est.) ++ 0.8% (2015 est.) ++ -0.3% (2014 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - per capita (PPP)": {
      "text": "$36,300 (2016 est.) ++ $36,300 (2015 est.) ++ $36,000 (2014 est.)",
      "note": {
        "text": "data are in 2016 dollars"
      }
    },
    "Gross national saving": {
      "text": "18.8% of GDP (2016 est.) ++ 19% of GDP (2015 est.) ++ 18.2% of GDP (2014 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "60.9%"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "18.8%"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "16.5%"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "0.2%"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "29.7%"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-26.1% (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "2.2%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "23.9%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "73.8% (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Agriculture - products": {
      "text": "fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "0.8% (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "25.6 million (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force - by occupation": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "3.9%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "28.3%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "67.8% (2011)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "text": "11.4% (2016 est.) ++ 11.9% (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "29.9% (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "2.3%"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "26.8% (2000)"
      }
    },
    "Distribution of family income - Gini index": {
      "text": "31.9 (2012 est.) ++ 27.3 (1995)"
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "$842.5 billion"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "$889.8 billion (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "45.5% of GDP (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": {
      "text": "-2.6% of GDP (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "text": "132.5% of GDP (2016 est.) ++ 132.8% of GDP (2015 est.)",
      "note": {
        "text": "Italy reports its data on public debt according to guidelines set out in the Maastricht Treaty; general government gross debt is defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the"
      }
    },
    "Fiscal year": {
      "text": "calendar year"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "text": "-0.2% (2016 est.) ++ 0.1% (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Central bank discount rate": {
      "text": "0.25% (31 December 2013) ++ 0.75% (31 December 2012)",
      "note": {
        "text": "this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area"
      }
    },
    "Commercial bank prime lending rate": {
      "text": "3.8% (31 December 2016 est.) ++ 4.13% (31 December 2015 est.)"
    },
    "Stock of narrow money": {
      "text": "$1.069 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) ++ $1.026 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)",
      "note": {
        "text": "see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of"
      }
    },
    "Stock of broad money": {
      "text": "$2.134 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) ++ $2.284 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)"
    },
    "Stock of domestic credit": {
      "text": "$2.97 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) ++ $3.053 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)"
    },
    "Market value of publicly traded shares": {
      "text": "$480.5 billion (31 December 2012 est.) ++ $587.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.) ++ $615.5 billion (31 December 2013 est.)"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "text": "$40.23 billion (2016 est.) ++ $39.91 billion (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Exports": {
      "text": "$436.3 billion (2016 est.) ++ $450.1 billion (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco; minerals, nonferrous metals"
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "Germany 12.3%, France 10.3%, US 8.7%, UK 5.4%, Spain 4.8%, Switzerland 4.7% (2015)"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "text": "$372.2 billion (2016 est.) ++ $391.2 billion (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, tobacco"
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "Germany 15.4%, France 8.7%, China 7.7%, Netherlands 5.6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.7% (2015)"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "text": "$130.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.) ++ $142.2 billion (31 December 2014 est.)"
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "text": "$2.444 trillion (31 March 2016 est.) ++ $2.3 trillion (31 March 2015 est.)"
    },
    "Stock of direct foreign investment - at home": {
      "text": "$472.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.) ++ $463.2 billion (31 December 2015 est.)"
    },
    "Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad": {
      "text": "$610.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.) ++ $594.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.)"
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "text": "euros (EUR) per US dollar - ++ 0.9214 (2016 est.) ++ 0.885 (2015 est.) ++ 0.885 (2014 est.) ++ 0.7634 (2013 est.) ++ 0.78 (2012 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity - production": {
      "text": "267 billion kWh (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - consumption": {
      "text": "291 billion kWh (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - exports": {
      "text": "3 billion kWh (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - imports": {
      "text": "47 billion kWh (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - installed generating capacity": {
      "text": "122 million kW (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from fossil fuels": {
      "text": "58.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": {
      "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": {
      "text": "11.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from other renewable sources": {
      "text": "23.4% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - production": {
      "text": "100,200 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - exports": {
      "text": "24,640 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - imports": {
      "text": "1.395 million bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - proved reserves": {
      "text": "544.5 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - production": {
      "text": "1.578 million bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - consumption": {
      "text": "1.266 million bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - exports": {
      "text": "533,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - imports": {
      "text": "261,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - production": {
      "text": "7.149 billion cu m (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - consumption": {
      "text": "61.91 billion cu m (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - exports": {
      "text": "237 million cu m (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - imports": {
      "text": "55.76 billion cu m (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - proved reserves": {
      "text": "53.72 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es)"
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy": {
      "text": "362 million Mt (2013 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "20,236,305"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "33 (July 2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total": {
        "text": "92.52 million"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "150 (July 2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephone system": {
      "general assessment": {
        "text": "modern, well-developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services"
      },
      "domestic": {
        "text": "high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks"
      },
      "international": {
        "text": "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 (2015)"
      }
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "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 (2007)"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".it"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "total": {
        "text": "40.559 million"
      },
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "65.6% (July 2015 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "National air transport system": {
      "number of registered air carriers": {
        "text": "9"
      },
      "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": {
        "text": "382"
      },
      "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": {
        "text": "26,036,010"
      },
      "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": {
        "text": "945,433,732 mt-km (2015)"
      }
    },
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "I (2016)"
    },
    "Airports": {
      "text": "129 (2013)"
    },
    "Airports - with paved runways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "98"
      },
      "over 3,047 m": {
        "text": "9"
      },
      "2,438 to 3,047 m": {
        "text": "31"
      },
      "1,524 to 2,437 m": {
        "text": "18"
      },
      "914 to 1,523 m": {
        "text": "29"
      },
      "under 914 m": {
        "text": "11 (2013)"
      }
    },
    "Airports - with unpaved runways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "31"
      },
      "1,524 to 2,437 m": {
        "text": "1"
      },
      "914 to 1,523 m": {
        "text": "10"
      },
      "under 914 m": {
        "text": "20 (2013)"
      }
    },
    "Heliports": {
      "text": "5 (2013)"
    },
    "Pipelines": {
      "text": "gas 20,223 km; oil 1,393 km; refined products 1,574 km (2013)"
    },
    "Railways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "20,181.7 km"
      },
      "standard gauge": {
        "text": "18,770.1 km 1.435-m gauge (12,893.6 km electrified)"
      },
      "narrow gauge": {
        "text": "122.3 km 1.000-m gauge (122.3 km electrified); 1,289.3 km 0.950-m gauge (151.3 km electrified) (2014)"
      }
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "487,700 km"
      },
      "paved": {
        "text": "487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2007)"
      }
    },
    "Waterways": {
      "text": "2,400 km (used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail) (2012)"
    },
    "Merchant marine": {
      "total": {
        "text": "681"
      },
      "by type": {
        "text": "bulk carrier 105, cargo 42, carrier 1, chemical tanker 164, container 21, liquefied gas 28, passenger 25, passenger/cargo 154, petroleum tanker 59, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 39, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 30"
      },
      "foreign-owned": {
        "text": "90 (Denmark 4, France 2, Greece 7, Luxembourg 14, Netherlands 2, Nigeria 1, Norway 6, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 13, Taiwan 10, Turkey 4, UK 2, US 23)"
      },
      "registered in other countries": {
        "text": "201 (Bahamas 1, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 7, Cyprus 6, Georgia 2, Gibraltar 4, Greece 5, Liberia 47, Malta 45, Marshall Islands 1, Morocco 1, Netherlands 6, Panama 25, Portugal 12, Russia 14, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Singapore 5, Slovakia 2, Spain 1 (2010)"
      }
    },
    "Ports and terminals": {
      "major seaport(s)": {
        "text": "Augusta, Cagliari, Genoa, Livorno, Taranto, Trieste, Venice"
      },
      "oil terminals": {
        "text": "Melilli (Santa Panagia) oil terminal, Sarroch oil terminal"
      },
      "container port(s) (TEUs)": {
        "text": "Genoa (1,847,648), Gioia Tauro (2,264,798), La Spezia (1,307,274)"
      },
      "LNG terminal(s) (import)": {
        "text": "La Spezia, Panigaglia, Porto Levante"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military branches": {
      "text": "Italian Armed Forces: Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC), Financial Guard (Guardia di Finanza) (2015)"
    },
    "Military service age and obligation": {
      "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in any military branch; Italian citizenship required; 1-year service obligation (2013)"
    },
    "Military expenditures": {
      "text": "1.1% of GDP (2014) ++ 1.2% of GDP (2013) ++ 1.3% of GDP (2012)"
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Disputes - international": {
      "text": "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 (country of origin)": {
        "text": "13,068 (Somalia); 12,203 (Afghanistan); 11,962 (Eritrea); 9,931 (Nigeria); 9,202 (Pakistan); 8,334 (Mali); 5,079 (Cote d'Ivoire) (2015)"
      },
      "stateless persons": {
        "text": "747 (2015)"
      },
      "note": {
        "text": "327,030 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals by sea (2015 - November 2016)"
      }
    },
    "Illicit drugs": {
      "text": "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"
    }
  }
}