Some distant peoples are now nearby.
People from countries where public evangelism or church life is constrained can be neighbors in a European city with constitutional religious freedom.
Rome & Migration
The world is not passing through.
It is building a life here.
Migration in Rome is not only a story of boats, borders, or emergency response. It is a long-term neighborhood reality shaped by work, school, family reunification, citizenship, religion, and belonging.
392,090foreign citizens registered in Rome at the end of 2024
One in seven registered residents of Rome held non-Italian citizenship.
That figure does not include naturalized Italian citizens, second-generation Italians, or every person with a migration story. It also says nothing by itself about language, faith, legal status, or social integration. It is a starting point for seeing the city more clearly—not a label for the people who live here.
Roma Capitale · 2026–2028 planning documentA world in one city
Rome’s largest international communities.
The five largest citizenship groups make up 49.9 percent of the city’s registered foreign population. The remaining half comes from a much wider range of countries.
CommunityResidentsShareRegion
Romania83,39121.3%Europe
Philippinesabout 40,00010.2%Asia
Bangladeshabout 35,4009.0%South Asia
Chinaabout 19,8005.0%East Asia
Ukraineabout 16,8004.3%Europe
Source: Roma Capitale registry at 31 December 2024. Rounded counts are derived from the published total and shares; Romania is reported directly. Citizenship is not ethnicity, birthplace, or religion.
A city of corridors
Global movement becomes ordinary proximity.
Rome connects established European mobility with durable corridors from South and East Asia, North and West Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. These connections show up in apartment buildings, schools, markets, churches, mosques, workplaces, and family networks.
In the city’s eastern periphery, official data shows especially strong concentrations of Romanian and Bangladeshi residents. That is where a demographic fact becomes a daily relationship.
Eastern EuropeRome
South AsiaRome
East AsiaRome
North & West AfricaRome
Latin AmericaRome
Migration and religion
The new neighbors do not belong to one faith—or one Christian tradition.
There is no religion census for foreign residents. Researchers estimate affiliation partly from countries of origin and adjust for known migration patterns. That creates uncertainty. The models nevertheless show that Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or evangelical, Muslim, nonreligious, and other communities are all part of migration-era Italy.
Orthodox Christian27–29%
Roman Catholicabout 17%
Protestant / evangelical3–4%
Other Christian categoriesabout 3–7%
Muslim30–34%
No religion7–10%
Ranges compare CESNUR/IDOS and ISMU estimates for foreign residents in Italy in 2023. Their Christian subcategories do not align perfectly: one reports “Protestant,” the other “evangelical,” and their residual Christian categories differ. These are modeled national estimates, not Rome-specific counts.
The mission field has moved
A useful phrase—if we say what it means.
Movement changes access, but proximity does not automatically create relationship, understanding, or faithful Christian witness.
The global church has moved too.
Orthodox, Catholic, Pentecostal, and evangelical migrants bring convictions, churches, spiritual gifts, and leadership. Mission must become mutual rather than paternal.
Every migrant is “unreached.”
Nationality cannot tell us a person’s faith, access to the gospel, or relationship with a church. We begin with names, stories, listening, and friendship—not categories.
Overseas mission is obsolete.
Many people remain in places with little freedom or little Christian presence. Diaspora ministry complements work across borders; it does not replace it.
A note on the numbers
Why two official totals for Rome can both be real.
Rome’s municipal registry counted 392,090 foreign citizens at the end of 2024. Istat’s census-adjusted resident series counted about 354,000. The systems use different administrative and statistical processes, including adjustments for a person’s usual residence.
We use the municipal registry when discussing city neighborhoods and its published citizenship shares. We use Istat for national comparisons. Neither number measures everyone born abroad, everyone with foreign parents, irregular residents, or naturalized citizens.
Read the full methodologyOur posture
Neighbors before categories.
Listen long enough to be corrected.
Language, migration experience, class, generation, and faith make every community internally diverse.
Share Christ without hiding our convictions.
Respect and clarity belong together. Honest friendship makes room for real spiritual questions and biblical answers.
Recognize and strengthen Christian leadership.
When migrant believers are mature in faith, the church should learn from them, share responsibility, and serve side by side.