Official statistics for the 2001 census showed there were almost 19,000 British citizens fully registered as resident in Italy (in Italy, a full census is carried out every 10 years). An intermediate estimate on 31 December 2005 showed just over 23,000 British residents. Further figures are available on the website of the Italian Institute for Statistics ISTAT (in Italian).

Many others may not have been included in this census, e.g. seasonal residents, dual nationals counted as Italians, etc. While no accurate statistics are available, we estimate from a variety of sources that the total number is probably nearer 50,000.