The Holy See, the episcopal jurisdiction of Rome, contains the government of Vatican City and the worldwide Catholic Church. It is recognised as a sovereign entity, headed by the pope, who is also the Bishop of Rome, with which diplomatic relations can be maintained.[213][f]
Although historically dominated by Catholicism, religiosity in Italy is declining.[214] Most Catholics are nominal; the Associated Press describes Italian Catholicism as "nominally embraced but rarely lived".[214] Italy has the world's fifth-largest Catholic population and the largest in Europe.[215] Since 1985, Catholicism is no longer the official religion.[216]
In 2011, minority Christian faiths included an estimated 1.5 million Orthodox Christians, while Protestantism has been growing.[217] Italy has for centuries welcomed Jews expelled from other countries, notably Spain. However, about 20% of Italian Jews were killed during the Holocaust.[218] This, together with emigration before and after World War II, has left around 28,000 Jews.[219] There are 120,000 Hindus[220] and 70,000 Sikhs.[221]
The state devolves shares of income tax to recognised religious communities, under a regime known as eight per thousand. Donations are allowed to Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu communities; however, Islam remains excluded, as no Muslim communities have signed a concordat.[222] Taxpayers who do not wish to fund a religion contribute their share to the welfare system.[223]
Education
Education is mandatory and free from ages six to sixteen,[224] and consists of five stages: kindergarten, primary school, lower secondary school, upper secondary school, and university.[225]
Primary school lasts eight years. Students are given a basic education in Italian, English, mathematics, natural sciences, history, geography, social studies, physical education, and visual and musical arts. Secondary school lasts for five years and includes three traditional types of schools focused on different academic levels: the liceo prepares students for university studies with a classical or scientific curriculum, while the istituto tecnico and the istituto professionale prepare pupils for vocations.
In 2018, secondary education was evaluated as being below the average among OECD countries.[226] Italy scored below the OECD average in reading and science, and near the OECD average in mathematics.[226] A wide gap exists between northern schools, which perform near average, and the south, which had much poorer results.[227]
Tertiary education is divided between public universities, private universities, and the prestigious and selective superior graduate schools, such as the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. 33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019.[228] Bologna University, founded in 1088, is the oldest university still in operation,[229] and one of the leading academic institutions in Europe.[230] Bocconi University, the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, LUISS, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Milan, the Sapienza University of Rome, and the University of Milan are also ranked among the best.[231]