Italians flocking abroad soars 70% in two years

(ANSA) – Milan, December 10 – The number of Italians leaving the country rose 70% in two years, from 40,000 in 2010 to 68,000 in 2012, an Italian foundation for multi-ethnic studies reported on Tuesday.

Lombardy has topped Italy’s regions for generating expats since 2007, according to the annual report of the Ismu Foundation, presented in Milan.

In 2002, less than 4,000 of Lombardy’s immigrants emigrated abroad. In 2012 the number had nearly quadrupled to 14,000. The region that saw the largest exodus growth for 2012, however, was the southern region of Molise, located northeast of Naples and includes a stretch of the Adriatic coast, with a 147% increase in residents moving abroad.