Italy is one of the EU countries where early school leaving is a strong national emergency: 2.1 % of secondary school students are not evaluated at the end of the year (3,6% during the first year).

The reasons of early school living can be found outside and inside the school: in the first case, pupils’ choices are influenced by factors such as familiar cultures, quality of infrastructures (transports, libraries, communications) and income.

Many students are not encouraged to attend school if they live in a negative environment (where cultural life is not developed) or they can’t find appropriate means of transport (journeys can be long and stressful, in particular in the mountains).

The estimated number of NEET in Italy (2009) is 2,043,615 people (56.5% females, 43.5% males), 21,2% of the total of young people aged between 15 and 29 years. In the south of Italy NEETs are about 30%, in the North East 13.2%, in the North West 15.4% and 16.1% in the Centre.

The official unemployment rate for the whole of Italy is currently 8.6 percent. Youth unemployment has officially reached 27,8% percent, almost three percent more than a year ago. This means that almost one in three young people between 15 and 24 has no job.

In the south, the situation is even more dramatic; in some areas, from three quarters to eighty percent of all young people are without work. Not infrequently, the Mafia is the largest, if not the only employer.