Italy saw a record rise in the number of same-sex civil partnerships in 2023, reaching a six-year high.
According to data from Italy’s National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), 3,019 same-sex partnerships were registered last year, an increase of 7.3% compared to 2022. This is the highest number since 2017, the first full year after the legalization of partnerships.
At the same time, the number of heterosexual marriages in Italy decreased to 184,000, which is 2.6% fewer than in 2022. Data for the first eight months of 2024 confirm this trend, with a 6.7% decline in marriages compared to the same period in 2023.
The share of religious marriages continues to decline even more rapidly: in 2023, their number was 8.2% lower than in 2022. That same year, 80,000 divorces and 82,000 separations were registered — situations where spouses do not formally end their marriage but no longer live together.
Same-sex civil partnerships were legalized in Italy in 2016, despite opposition from Catholic and conservative groups. However, the right to adopt children was not granted to same-sex partners.
