The Coronavirus Pandemic and Inequality in Italy

Abstract Italy was the first European country to be hard hit by the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic. The country has a long history of disparities in wealth, health and socio-economic development between the Northern and the Central/Southern regions. The COVID-19 outbreak was higher in the richest areas of Italy, but the whole country suffered from increasing socio-economic and health inequalities. Existing health inequalities were exascerbated: mortality rates were higher for men than for women, widening the gender-based life expectancy gap. They were also higher among the elderly, particularly those living in care homes. However, the incidence of mental health conditions, and the demand for mental health care, is increasing, particularly among the younger generations. We find that the pandemic had a negative impact on access to healthcare, especially for some types of services. Regions with a higher per capita income and lower income inequality experienced lower reductions in access to specialized services. We find evidence of worsening inequalities in health and access to healthcare for some fragile population groups, the elderly and the migrants. We conclude that the pandemic highlighted the urgent need to address both pre-existing and newly emerging forms of socioeconomic inequaliy. The next generation European Union funds and the linked national recovery and resilience public investment are targeted to foster economic growth and overcome the structural, geographic, socio-economic and health divide in Italy. The success of this will depend on the effectiveness of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, on the capacity to improve public investment governance, and on the post-pandemic growth the country will experience.