Italy
| Population | 59.6 m |
| Capital | Rome |
| Surface area | 295,100 km2 |
| Official Languages | Italian |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 1,404 bn |
| GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 12.7 |
| GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 100.6 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.941 |
| World rank in HDI | 20/177 |
| Key economic sectors (% of GDP in 2002) | Services (70.1); industry (27.3); agriculture (2.6) |
| Leading Companies | Eni (oil); Intesa Sanpaolo (bank); Uni Credito Italiano (bank) |
| Unemployment in January 2010 | 8.6% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
| Main religious denominations | Roman Catholic (46.26); Muslim (0.68) |
| Political system | A parliamentary republic, with a bicameral legislature the chambers of which are elected simultaneously. The Chamber of Deputies is directly elected; the Senate is elected on a regional basis. A President can appoint up to 11 Senators for life, and has the power to dissolve parliament except in the last six months of a parliamentary term. |
| Electoral system | Party list proportional representation for elections to the Chamber of Deputies. |
| Current (March 2010) leaders | Prime minister: Silvio Berlusconi (b. 1936), since February 2008 |
| Previous leaders: | Prime ministers: Ulivo Romano Prodi (2006-08); Silvio Berlusconi (2001-06); Giuliano Amato (2000-01); Massimo D’Alema (1998-2000) |
| Joined the EU/EC | 1957 (founder member) |
| Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Antonio Tajani (Industry and Entrepreneurship, Vice President of the Commission) |
| Number of MEPs | 73/754 |
| Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 66.5 |
| Member of eurozone | Yes (founder member) |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com