Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Italy instead of West Virginia, you would:

Health

be 65.5% less likely to be obese

In West Virginia, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 45.2% more likely to be unemployed

In West Virginia, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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be 23.3% more likely to live below the poverty line

In West Virginia, 16.3% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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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: West Virginia vs. Italy

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Italy is 12.3% cheaper than West Virginia
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Size Comparison · See true size
West Virginia is about 4.8 times smaller than Italy.
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Moving from West Virginia to Italy · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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.
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How big is Italy compared to West Virginia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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