 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Indians in Italy" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 203,052 (January 1, 2022) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Rome,Milan | |
| Languages | |
| Italian,English,Languages of India | |
| Religion | |
| Sikhism,Ravidassia,Hinduism,Religions of India,Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin,Desi,Chinese in Italy,Sri Lankans in Italy,Pakistanis in Italy,Bangladeshis in Italy |
Indians in Italy comprise the third largest population ofIndians inEurope.[1][2] AlthoughItaly andIndia have maintained important relations since ancient times, significant Indian migration to Italy is a recent phenomenon. Many Indians began immigrating to Italy in the early 1990s, when the Italian government initiated programs to get Indian IT professionals and engineers to contribute to the technology sector in Italy. Most Indian immigrants came to Italy legally.
Many immigrants came fromPunjab as entrepreneurs active in the restaurant and retail fields associated with Italy's large tourism industry. About half of the total Indian migrant population in Italy lives in the central and northern regions of the country, especially inRome andMilan.Lombardy hosts the most important Indian community with 47,743 people.
The Indian community has integrated successfully into Italian life, and local authorities and people are impressed with their contributions to the Italian economy. They have been found to be generally very industrious, business-minded, entrepreneurial and law-abiding.[3]
Most Indians have retained their religious practices, mainlyHinduism,Ravidassia andSikhism. There are numerous temples andgurdwaras as well asISKCON centres. There are also many Christians fromKerala.
According to the research paper of theEuropean University Institute,Fiesole,Italy, the Ravidassia community is the second largest group of Indian diaspora in Italy. The Ravidassia community's migration starts in the early 80s, and currently the community is operating 18 Guru Ravidass temples throughout Italy. But due to the lack of recognized independent religious identity by the Italian government, the local Italian community leaders assume Ravidasias are Hindu or Sikh.[4]
The production of many Italian cheeses, includingParmigiano-Reggiano,Grana Padano, andmozzarella, depends significantly on immigrant labour.[5][6][7] Starting in the 1990s, Indians have come to dominate the labour force of the Italian dairy industry in this niche.[6] 60% of the workers in the Parmesan industry areSikh.[5]
Most Indians in Italy settle in the north of the country and work in agriculture.[8][9] ThePo Valley is similar in climate to thePunjab, where most of these Sikh workers are from.[5] Their first jobs tend to be directly with the cows andbuffalos, as many come from farming families, but some move on to become cheesemakers, which is better paying.[10]
it:Coldiretti, whichPolitico Europe describes as Italy's most important farming union[11] and civic authorities in the region acknowledge that the immigrants are indispensable for agriculture in general and the dairy industry in particular.[12] The dairy workers themselves (bergamini) tend to belong to theItalian General Confederation of Labour.[6]
