Latest available figures from the 2011 United Kingdom Census show there were 6,048 people born in Italy living in Scotland.

[2] Additional provinces with fairly significant emigration to Scotland include Isernia, La Spezia, Pistoia, Parma, Latina, Massa-Carrara and Pordenone.

Many Italian-Scots can trace their ancestry back to the 1890s, when their forefathers escaped drought, famine and poverty in their homeland for a better life in Scotland; yet it was not until World War I that a sizeable population of Italian-Scots—over 4,000[4]—began to emerge, with Glasgow hosting the third largest community in the United Kingdom.

Italy and the fascist involvement in World War II brought many hardships on Italians settled in Scotland - many families were separated as adult males were interned.

However, a large proportion of the community have plied their trade in the catering industry, working in the chip shops, ice-cream parlours, pizzerias and restaurants across Scotland.