Italy ranked second-to-last among member States of the OECD when it came to public spending on education in 2013, the agency said in a report on government Monday. At just 8%, Italy was ahead of only Greece, with 7.6% of its public spending on education, among the 34 member States of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The report found that in 2013, Italian spending on social-welfare programs came in at 41.3%, general public services consumed 17.5%, and health-care spending was 14.1%.
Spending on "economic affairs" took 8.2% of the 2013 budget, just ahead of education, while public order consumed 3.8%, defense 2.3%, environmental protection just 1.8%, and policies on accommodation and funding for culture and religion was allotted 1.4% each.
Premier Matteo Renzi recently launched a controversial education reform plan that includes injections of money into schools, new hires, and changes to the way schools are managed.
The OECD also noted that Italy's 2014 gross debt levels rose to 156% of gross domestic product (GDP) or about $55,538 per person.
It said that the gross debt-to-GDP ratio rose considerably from just under 143% in 2013, and 110.6% in 2007.
The figure is the third-highest within the OECD area, after Japan and Greece, said the agency.
Italy is expected to generate a structural surplus of 0.8% of GDP in 2015 and possibly the same next year, the OECD said.
Last year, Italy recorded a deficit that was 3% of GDP, up slightly from a 2.9% ratio in 2013 and well above the 1.7% ratio in 2007.
In per capita terms, Italy was in fourth place among industrialized countries with 2014 levels higher than the $49,798 per Italian in 2013.
Italy came in second-to-last in a ranking of OECD countries' usage of the Internet to interact with public agencies.
Last year, only 20% of private individuals in Italy went online for government information or forms, and just 11% used the Internet for sending in completed government forms, just slightly higher than Chile, at 7.3% and 8.9% respectively.
The numbers changed significantly when looking at private businesses.
Fully 77.7% of Italian businesses reported using the Internet to request government information or forms in 2014, and 58% sending in completed forms online.
Scandinavian countries ranked at the top of the OECD survey, all above 75%, with Norway leading the way at 81% of individuals using the Internet to interact with public authorities.
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