8xmille: Which Italian regions donate the most and who are the beneficiaries?

The 8xmille (Italian tax return) is a tool through which Italian taxpayers can allocate a portion of their personal income tax (IRPEF) to religious organizations or the state for social purposes. Every year, millions of citizens make this choice when filing their tax returns. The most recent data, referring to the 2025 disbursement and 2021 income, provide a detailed overview of both taxpayers' preferences and the regional distribution of these choices.

Who Gets the 8xmille: An Overview of Beneficiaries

In 2025, out of a total of over 41 million taxpayers , more than 16.6 million expressed a valid choice regarding the allocation of their 8xmille, while over 24.5 million expressed no preference. The most popular options were:

• Catholic Church, with over 11.5 million preferences;
• State, with over 4.1 million choices;
• Union of Seventh-day Adventist Christian Churches, with approximately 20,600 choices.

Alongside these, other recognised religious bodies have gathered thousands of members, including the Waldensian Evangelical Church , the Assemblies of God, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities and the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The distribution of choices highlights a strong prevalence of the Catholic Church , but significant territorial differences also emerge between regions and autonomous provinces linked to the historical and cultural presence of the various religious denominations.

In particular, the Waldensian Evangelical Church, despite representing a small religious minority at the national level, managed to collect a significant number of signatures, thanks in part to its strong presence in Piedmont and some urban areas of central and northern Italy. The Union of Seventh-day Adventist Christian Churches, on the other hand, confirmed stable support throughout the country, especially in some provinces of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.

The 8xmille donation is then used for humanitarian, cultural, educational, and welfare projects. For example, the Catholic Church uses the funds to support soup kitchens, shelters, parishes, and missionary work. Other denominations, such as the Waldensian Church, also invest the funds received in projects of solidarity, international cooperation, civil rights, and secularism.

The regions with the most marked preferences

Analyzing the regional data, some interesting curiosities emerge regarding the choices for the 8xmille:

• In Piedmont, the Waldensian Evangelical Church received over 104,000 votes, a figure significantly higher than that recorded in other regions, confirming a historical and cultural connection with the territory;
• in Lombardy, the Catholic Church received more than 2.2 million votes, making it the region with the highest absolute number of preferences for this confession;
• In Sicily, over 958,000 taxpayers choose the Catholic Church, but more than 10,000 preferences also stand out for the Waldensian Evangelical Church, a sign of its growing roots even in southern regions;
• in Trentino-Alto Adige, the share of votes for the State exceeds 110,000, distributed almost equally between the two autonomous provinces;

Other interesting data emerge in Liguria , where the Waldensian Evangelical Church collected over 22,000 signatures, and in the central regions, such as Tuscany and Marche, where the distribution of choices shows greater diversification among institutions.

Italians' religious choices on a regional basis

The analysis shows that most preferences are concentrated in a few main options, but smaller entities like the Waldensian Evangelical Church enjoy significant local support, especially in some areas of Northern Italy . The data highlights not only an opportunity for active participation in the allocation of personal income tax (IRPEF) revenue, but also provides an interesting snapshot of Italians' religious and cultural choices on a regional basis.

Region	Total taxpayers	Catholic Church	State	Waldensian Evangelical Church
Lombardy	7,325,400	2,268,417	711,858	100,449
Lazio	3,913,608	855,972	399,306	50,741
Campania	3,229,281	966,586	177,627	8.430
Veneto	3,665,812	1,131,480	405,397	43,487
Emilia Romagna	3,414,037	848,325	589,276	50,032
Sicily	2,875,974	958,382	137,496	10,909
Tuscany	2,740,834	612,949	363,389	34,931
Puglia	2,589,763	915,584	146,218	7.177
Piedmont	3,179,179	835.375	324,952	104,972
Calabria	1,163,524	355,577	51,452	2,737
Sardinia	1,073,158	232,600	100,893	9.004
Liguria	1,162,735	259,757	144,753	22,332
Marche	1,125,374	351,768	136,932	8,705
Abruzzo	913,672	203,654	67,754	3,962
Friuli Venezia Giulia	935,860	229,689	121,909	14,519
Umbria	645,256	140.123	66,265	5,482
Basilicata	372,094	121,783	25,297	1,234
Trentino-Alto Adige (TN)	429,799	117,468	57,543	6.020
Trentino-Alto Adige (BZ)	432,505	99.120	54,030	2,586
Molise	208,811	65,800	12,307	916
Aosta Valley	97,340	28,745	15,369	2.071