Italy lost 3.4 billion cubic meters, or 42.4 percent, of potable water from distribution networks in 2022, the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) has said.
This roughly equals the annual water consumption of 43.4 million people, the organization said.
ISTAT blames the water losses — which represent a deterioration from a 42.2 percent water loss recorded in 2020 — on “the persistent state of inefficiency of many distribution networks.”
According to ISTAT, there is room for improvement in Italy, where per capita water consumption stands at 155 cubic meters per year. This makes Italy the third biggest consumer of potable water in the European Union (EU) after Ireland and Greece.
