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The North-South Divide in Italy (sometimes referred to as the Southern Question) is the large economic and political divide between Northern and Southern Italy. While regional economic divides are common in many countries, "Italy’s case is peculiar because of its longevity," says economic historian Gianni Toniolo.

Modern economic divide

From the years 2008-2013, Southern Italy's economy contracted by 13% and Northern Italy's economy contracted by 7% — Southern Italy's contracted by nearly twice as much.

Employment

In 2015, Southern Italy's employment was lower than that of any country in the European Union; and Southern Italy has one of the lowest youth employment rates in all of Europe. The graduate employment rates of Southern Italy are the worst in the European Union. Around 2013, women in North Italy had an employment rate of 56% and women in South Italy had an employment rate of roughly 30%; this shows that a large portion of females do not participate in the Italian labour market, especially the South.

GDP

The GDP per capita divide is increasing between North and the South. In Italy, the regions with the lowest GDP per capita are all Southern. South Italy has roughly 65% of the GDP per capita of the North.

Poverty

The frequency of poor families is six times higher in the South than in the North. Since the 1990s, inequality has increased between the South and rest of Italy. Income poverty rates in the South are significantly higher in the South: for the whole of Italy from 2000-2006 it was at 13%; in the North it is from 3.6% to 4.8%; in the Centre it is from 4.7% to 7%; and in the South it ranges from 28-29%.