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Italian Population Statistics

According to the latest census conducted in 2001, Italy has a population of 56.3 million, of whom 27 million are men and 29 million women. 26.2% of the population counted by ISTAT (www.istat.it ) reside in northern Italy, 18.8% in northeast Italy, 19% in the centre and 24.5% in the south, and the remaining 11.5% on the islands.

While the number of families is rising (21,503,088 compared with 19,909,003 in 1991), their average size is falling: from 2.8 to 2.6 today. The number of families with one member only is also on the increase (in 2000 there were 700,000 more singles than in 1995), a phenomenon present in all the Regions due, in part, to the gradual ageing of the population. This is particularly true of the northeast, where in the immediate post-war era the average family had 4.2 members, and now counts only 2.5.

The number of foreigners living in Italy has almost tripled since 1991 (from 356,159 to 987,363). For every 1,000 inhabitants, an average of 17.5 are foreign citizens. This number peaks at 27 in the northeast and 25 in the northwest but drops much lower in the south (8%) and on the islands (3%).

Nevertheless, Italy takes nearly last place in Europe for the presence of foreigners with less than 2% against Germany's 9%. Immigration has contributed to a positive demographic trend in Italy, taking the natural growth rate from -0.3 to +2.3 people per 1,000 inhabitants in 2002.

Italy's birth rate is among the lowest in the European Union. While the average birth rate among the 15 Member States levels off at 10.6 per 1000 inhabitants, in Italy it drops to 9.6.

The number of people over the age of 65 is increasing: today 18.9% of the population is over 65, but this figure is likely to go up to 34.4% by 2050.

The average age of Italians is currently 41.8 and in 2050 is predicted to be at around 50.5; 4.3% of the population is over 80 and by 2050 that figure will probably reach 14.2%.For every 100 children between the ages of 0 and 14, there are 127 elderly people.

This percentage is the highest in Liguria (239.1) and the lowest in Campania (72.5); in these regions the elderly population represents respectively 25.3% and 14% of the population.

At top of the list are Umbria (22.6% of the population; 183.7 elderly for every 100 children) and Emilia Romagna (22.3%; 194.4); last on the list Apuglia are (15.7%; 90.5) and Sardinia (16%; 100.2)

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