Italy's election: How the economy is performing

The economy has become a key battleground for the main parties' campaigns.

Italy's economy has started to expand once again, but is still one of the worst performers of the countries in the eurozone.

The election battle is proving to be very close, with the latest polls suggesting no political coalition will win a clear majority.

The parties are battling to prove they can take Italy's economy, industry and job market back to pre-crisis levels.

However, despite all the pre-election rhetoric, few Italians can really see what has improved since the economic crisis. The road to full recovery has been much harder than many expected.

Economic growth - in terms of GDP per head - has been picking up since 2014. However, the pace of growth appears weak compared with other major European economies.

Forecasts suggest it would take between five and six years to achieve the rates seen in 2007. Meanwhile some other eurozone nations are experiencing their best growth in the past decade.