A Portrait of Children in Immigrant Families in Italy

The number of foreign minors living in Italy in 2003 was 353,500. According to the latest estimates, for 2008, over 862,000 foreign minors are now residing in Italy. This means that, within 5 years, the number of foreign minors more than doubled, and, within last 10 years, it more than quadrupled. In 2008, more than 16% of births occurred to couples including at least one foreign parent and children now account for more than 22% of the foreign population. Despite the extraordinarily rapid growth in immigration and in the number of foreign children in the last decade, little research has been conducted on issues regarding children in immigrant families. In this study, in the framework of the Unicef comparative research project on 'Children in Immigrant Families in Eight Affluent Countries: Their Family, National and International Context' we analyse the household composition and wellbeing of children in immigrant families with 2001 Italian Census data. In particular, we analyse, by gender and country of origin, the time of arrival and citizenship of children aged up to 17 years; the educational attainment and job activity of their parents; family composition and housing conditions.