Intesa Sanpaolo launches Monitor on Territorial Fragility and Inequality
19 June 2026
Intesa Sanpaolo presents the Territorial Fragility and Inequalities Monitor, a new research initiative designed to analyse the multidimensional nature of fragility, which can no longer be attributed solely to territorial income levels but rather to a broader set of economic, demographic, employment and social factors.
The initiative stems from the collaboration between Intesa Sanpaolo per il Sociale, AICCON Research Center, Intesa Sanpaolo SRM – Economic Studies and Research for Southern Italy, and the Bank’s Research Department, introducing a new framework for understanding territorial fragilities through a multidimensional approach focused on their impact on people.
A multidimensional approach to understanding territorial fragilities
Social fragilities are not sector-specific phenomena but systemic processes arising from the interaction of economic, social, demographic, environmental and institutional dynamics. Understanding them requires multidimensional analytical tools that are granular and comparable over time.
The analysis focuses in particular on Italy’s provincial dynamics through an information base consisting of approximately 150 indicators structured across 11 domains and 37 dimensions.
Areas under observation include employment, income, health, education, social inclusion, service quality, environmental factors and productive capacity, with the aim of building a more comprehensive representation of development conditions and social cohesion.
“The Monitor confirms that inequalities are complex and non-linear phenomena, capable of taking different forms across territories. In this context, Intesa Sanpaolo, through its ability to combine economic and social dimensions, aims to play an enabling role in building targeted responses to the real needs of communities and individuals.”
Paolo Bonassi, Chief Social Impact Officer, Intesa Sanpaolo
Intesa Sanpaolo is making the Monitor available to institutions, businesses and third-sector social actors to help generate social value and foster an increasingly meaningful impact.
Human capital and service quality as drivers of development
The 2026 findings identify human capital as the main driver amplifying territorial growth. In areas where employment, economic activity, income and services evolve in a coordinated way, conditions become more favourable for development and social cohesion.
The study also highlights that the relationship between employment and well-being is not automatic. In territories characterised by low population density and ageing demographics, job availability may not translate into a better quality of life if limitations in access to services and preventive healthcare persist.
The findings also point to links between high youth unemployment, lower democratic participation and reduced economic and social attractiveness in territories with a higher concentration of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs).
A more nuanced geography of inequalities
The Monitor confirms the persistence of territorial disparities between Northern and Southern Italy while providing a more nuanced picture, where positive signals emerge in peripheral areas alongside pockets of vulnerability within economically stronger provinces.
Particular attention is paid to the gap between community needs and the capacity of services to respond. The study identifies challenges across several areas:
- healthcare systems not always aligned with local territorial needs
- insufficient childcare services affecting female employment
- gaps in social care provision for the elderly population
- imbalances in educational inclusion pathways.
The analysis also introduces a “gap-based” perspective, comparing demand for services with available resources to identify areas under greater social pressure.
Download the Territorial Fragility and Inequalities Monitor – available in Italian only.
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Last updated 19 June 2026 at 18:15:58
