Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Italy instead of Arkansas, you would:

Health

be 63.5% less likely to be obese

In Arkansas, 38.3% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 52.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Arkansas, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 33.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Arkansas, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023). How we calculate this

Compare further: Arkansas vs. Italy

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Italy is 10.6% cheaper than Arkansas
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Arkansas is about 2.2 times smaller than Italy.
→
Moving from Arkansas to Italy · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Little Rock vs Rome
→

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
Read more

How big is Italy compared to Arkansas? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Italy or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.