Ethiopians in Italy

Ethiopian pilgrims have been recorded in Rome since the early 15th century. By the early 16th century, the Ethiopian community was well-established in Rome, centered on the church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini.^[3][4]

Ethiopians in Italy were 7,772 in 2016, up from 6,656 in 2007. While the historical presence is linked to the training of priests at the Ethiopian College,^[5] contemporary Ethiopian immigration is rather feminized and linked to the domestic work market. It is a contained and constant migratory flow.^[6]

Asylum requests in Italy by Ethiopian citizens remain limited compared to the total (2,155 in 2015). Of these, 85% obtained a residence permit for international or humanitarian protection. Italy is also a crossing point for Ethiopian refugees headed to Northern Europe (United Kingdom and Sweden). Often, due to the Dublin Regulations, such asylum seekers are then sent back to Italy.^[7]

In Rome the Ethiopian community (as well as the Eritrean one) is concentrated in the Termini station area: via Milazzo and via dei Mille, via Volturno and via Montebello.^[8]

As of 2021, most Ethiopian nationals residing in Italy live in Rome, Milan, Parma, and Turin.^[2] The following table lists Italian provinces by Ethiopian population.

• Saba Anglana, singer
• Dagmawi Yimer, filmmaker
• Yohanes Chiappinelli, runner and steeplechaser
• Yemaneberhan Crippa, runner
• Gabriella Ghermandi, writer and performer
• Aida Girma-Melaku, writer and UNICEF representative in Pakistan
• Agitu Ideo Gudeta, entrepreneur and environmentalist
• Mel Taufer, football player
• Eyob Zambataro, football player

• Association of the Ethiopian community in Rome

• Ethiopian diaspora
• Immigration to Italy
• Ethiopia–Italy relations