Italians

Italians (Italian: Italiani, pronounced [itaˈljaːni]) are a nation and ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region.[41] Italians share a common culture, history, ancestry and usage of Italian language. Their predecessors differ regionally, but generally include native populations such as the Etruscans, the Rhaetians, the Ligurians, the Adriatic Veneti, and the Italic peoples, including the Latins, from which the Romans emerged and helped create and evolve the modern Italian identity.[42][43][44][45] Foreign influences include the ancient Greeks in Magna Graecia, and the Phoenicians, who had a presence in Sicily and Sardinia, the Celts, who settled in parts of the north, the Germanics and the Slavs. Legally, Italian nationals are citizens of Italy, regardless of ancestry or nation of residence (in effect, however, Italian nationality is largely based on jus sanguinis) and may be distinguished from ethnic Italians in general or from people of Italian descent without Italian citizenship and ethnic Italians living in territories adjacent to the Italian peninsula without Italian citizenship.[46][47] The Latin equivalent of the term Italian had been in use for natives of the geographical region since antiquity.[48]

Quick facts: Italian Italiani, Total population, Regions ... ▼

Italians

Italian: Italiani
Total population
c. 140 million Italy: 55,551,000[1] Italian diaspora and ancestry: c. 80 million[2]
Regions with significant populations
Italy        55,551,000[1]
Brazil	25–34 million (incl. ancestry)[3][4][5]
Argentina	20–25 million (incl. ancestry)[6][7]
United States	16–23 million (incl. ancestry)[8][9][10][11]
France	1–5 million (incl. ancestry)[5][12][13]
Venezuela	1–5 million (incl. ancestry)[14][15][16][17]
Paraguay	2.5 million (incl. ancestry)[18]
Colombia	2 million (incl. ancestry)[19]
Canada	1.5 million (incl. ancestry)[20]
Uruguay	1.5 million (incl. ancestry)[21]
Australia	1.1 million (incl. ancestry)[22][23]
Germany	801,082[24]
Switzerland	639,508[24]
Chile	600,000[25] por
Peru	500,000[26]
United Kingdom	481,382[24]
Belgium	451,825[27]
Costa Rica	381,316[28]
Spain	350,981[29]
Mexico	85,000[30]
South Africa	77,400[5]
Ecuador	56,000[31]
Russia	53,649[32]
Netherlands	52,789[24]
Austria	38,904[24]
San Marino	33,400[33]
Luxembourg	30,933
Portugal	30,819[34]
Ireland	22,160
Croatia	19,636[35]
Sweden	19,087
Albania	19,000[36]
Israel	16,255[24]
Greece	12,452[24]
United Arab Emirates	10,795[24]
Denmark	10,092[24]
Poland	10,000[37]
Thailand	10,000[38]
Languages
Italian and other languages of Italy
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholicism[39] Minority Irreligion[40]
Related ethnic groups
Corsicans, Sammarinese, Sicilians, Sardinians

The majority of Italian nationals are native speakers of the country's official language, Italian, a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin, or a variety thereof, that is regional Italian. However, many of them also speak a regional or minority language native to Italy, the existence of which predates the national language.[49][50] Although there is disagreement on the total number, according to UNESCO, there are approximately 30 languages native to Italy, although many are often misleadingly referred to as "Italian dialects".[51][44][52][53]

Since 2017, in addition to the approximately 55 million Italians in Italy (91% of the Italian national population),[1][54] Italian-speaking autonomous groups are found in neighboring nations; about a half million are in Switzerland,[55] as well as in France,[56] the entire population of San Marino. In addition, there are also clusters of Italian speakers in the former Yugoslavia, primarily in Istria, located between in modern Croatia and Slovenia (see: Istrian Italians), and Dalmatia, located in present-day Croatia and Montenegro (see: Dalmatian Italians). Due to the wide-ranging diaspora following Italian unification in 1861, World War I and World War II, (with over 5 million Italian citizens that live outside of Italy)[57] over 80 million people abroad claim full or partial Italian ancestry.[58] This includes about 60% of Argentina's population (Italian Argentines),[59][60] 44% of Uruguayans (Italian Uruguayans),[21] 15% of Brazilians (Italian Brazilians, the largest Italian community outside Italy),[61] more than 18 million Italian Americans, and people in other parts of Europe (e.g. Italians in Germany, Italians in France and Italians in the United Kingdom), the American Continent (such as Italian Venezuelans, Italian Canadians, Italian Colombians and Italians in Paraguay, among others), Australasia (Italian Australians and Italian New Zealanders), and to a lesser extent in the Middle East (Italians in the United Arab Emirates).

Italians have influenced and contributed to fields like arts and music, science, technology, fashion, cinema, cuisine, restaurants, sports, jurisprudence, banking and business.[62][63][64][65][66] Furthermore, Italian people are generally known for their attachment to their locale, expressed in the form of either regionalism or municipalism.[67]