In 2025, Italy’s resident population is estimated to be almost 59 million inhabitants. About one-sixth of them lived in Lombardy, the most populous region in the country. Lazio and Campania followed, with roughly 5.7 million and 5.6 million inhabitants, respectively. These figures are mainly driven by Rome and Naples, the administrative capitals of these regions, and two of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Which region has the oldest population? The population in Italy has become older and older over the last years. The average age in the country is equal to 46.8 years, but in some regions this figure is even higher. Liguria records an average age of 49.6 years and has one of the lowest birth rates in the country. Demographic trends for the future Liguria’s case, however, is not an outlier. Italy is already the country with the highest share of old people in Europe. At the same time, the very low number of new births means that, despite an always-increasing life expectancy, the Italian population is declining. Indeed, projections estimate that the country will have five million fewer inhabitants by 2050.

Rome is the most populous city in Italy. With 2.75 million inhabitants, the capital of the country put ahead Milan and Naples. Compared to the number of citizens in 2012, the resident population of Rome increased by over 140,000 individuals. Regional data Rome is located in the center of Italy in the Lazio region. Lazio is the second-largest region in terms of population size after Lombardy. In 2024, the region counts roughly 5.7 million inhabitants, whereas Lombardy has over ten million individuals. The third-largest region is Campania, with 5.6 million people. Naples, the major center of Campania, has around 910,000 inhabitants at the beginning of 2024. Nevertheless, this city was, back in the 19th century, one of the largest cities in Western Europe. Tourism in Rome The Eternal City is also the main tourist destination in Italy and was the eighth most-visited city in Europe. The largest groups of international visitors in Rome came from the United States of America, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Every year, more and more tourists also enjoy the best-known tourist attractions in Rome, like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Palatine Hill, which together recorded almost ten million visitors in 2022.

Italy IT: International Migrant Stock: Total data was reported at 5,788,875.000 Person in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,787,893.000 Person for 2010. Italy IT: International Migrant Stock: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 1,340,516.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,788,875.000 Person in 2015 and a record low of 459,553.000 Person in 1960. Italy IT: International Migrant Stock: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.; ; United Nations Population Division, Trends in Total Migrant Stock: 2012 Revision.; Sum;

As of January 2025, about 59 million people lived in Italy. Around 29 million individuals were males and 30 million people were females. The most populated area of the country was the north-west, where 15.9 million people lived. Furthermore, the southern regions counted 13.4 million inhabitants, representing the second most populous area of the country. Regional census The northern region of Lombardy is the most populous region of Italy. One-sixth of all the Italian population is concentrated in this area. Lazio and Campania follow with approximately 5.7 million and 5.6 million individuals, respectively. On the other hand, Aosta Valley, a northern region bordering to France and Switzerland, counted 123,000 inhabitants, representing the smallest region of Italy in terms of residents as well as area. More and more Italians are moving abroad In recent years, the number of Italians reported living abroad increased. In 2022, 5.8 million people lived outside Italy, almost three million more than in 2006. The country hosting the largest Italian population is Argentina, while other large Italian communities reside in Germany, Switzerland, and Brazil.

In 2024, Russia had the largest population among European countries at ***** million people. The next largest countries in terms of their population size were Turkey at **** million, Germany at **** million, the United Kingdom at **** million, and France at **** million. Europe is also home to some of the world’s smallest countries, such as the microstates of Liechtenstein and San Marino, with populations of ****** and ****** respectively. Europe’s largest economies Germany was Europe’s largest economy in 2023, with a Gross Domestic Product of around *** trillion Euros, while the UK and France are the second and third largest economies, at *** trillion and *** trillion euros respectively. Prior to the mid-2000s, Europe’s fourth-largest economy, Italy, had an economy that was of a similar sized to France and the UK, before diverging growth patterns saw the UK and France become far larger economies than Italy. Moscow and Istanbul the megacities of Europe Two cities on the eastern borders of Europe were Europe’s largest in 2023. The Turkish city of Istanbul, with a population of 15.8 million, and the Russian capital, Moscow, with a population of 12.7 million. Istanbul is arguably the world’s most famous transcontinental city with territory in both Europe and Asia and has been an important center for commerce and culture for over 2,000 years. Paris was the third largest European city with a population of ** million, with London being the fourth largest at *** million.

The statistic shows the total population of Switzerland from 2020 to 2030, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the total population of Switzerland amounted to around 8.96 million people. See the figures for the population of Italy for comparison. Economy of Switzerland Switzerland maintains one of the most stable economies and has been revered as the most secure banking and investment safe haven in the world. The country is viewed as not only one of the most economically advanced countries, but also one of the most politically respected countries, primarily due to having exceptionally good relations with the majority of countries around the world. Despite being affected by recessions in the early and late 2000s, Switzerland sustained a sufficient economy through competent leadership, most notably when considering the amount of money the government spent in comparison to the amount of revenues earned from goods and services. Many countries around the world suffered economically due to overspending, which often indirectly led to higher unemployment rates. However, Switzerland sustained a relatively balanced and low unemployment rate through the years through adequate government spending as well as a high percentage of skilled workers occupying the country’s workforce. A strong economy, beautiful nature and overall distinctive cultures have made Switzerland one of the most visited tourist countries in the world. Additionally, Switzerland is also a relatively popular country to visit for business meetings due to its centralized location and well renowned reputation.

This statistic shows the ten largest cities in Italy in 2025. In 2025, around 2.75 million people lived in Rome, making it the largest city in Italy. Population of Italy Italy has high population figures and a high population density in comparison to other European countries. A vast majority of Italians lives in urban areas and in the metropolises (as can be seen in this statistic), while other areas, such as the island Sardinia, are rather sparsely inhabited. After an increase a few years ago, Italy’s fertility rate, i.e. the average amount of children born to a woman of childbearing age, is now on a slow decline; however, it is still high enough to offset any significant effect the decrease might have on the country’s number of inhabitants. The median age of Italy’s population has been increasing rapidly over the past 50 years – which mirrors a lower mortality rate – and Italy is now among the countries with the highest life expectancy worldwide, only surpassed by two Asian countries, namely Japan and Hong Kong. Currently, the average life expectancy at birth in Italy is at about 83 years. Most of Italy’s population is of Roman Catholic faith. The country actually boasts one of the largest numbers of Catholics worldwide; other such countries include Brazil, Mexico and the United States. The central government of the Roman Catholic Church, the Holy See, is located in Vatican City in the heart of Italy’s capital and ruled by the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. Officially, Vatican City does not belong to Italy, but is a sovereign state with its own legislation and jurisdiction. It has about 600 inhabitants, who are almost exclusively members of the clergy or government officials.

Russia is the largest country in Europe, and also the largest in the world, its total size amounting to 17 million square kilometers (km2). It should be noted, however, that over three quarters of Russia is located in Asia, and the Ural mountains are often viewed as the meeting point of the two continents in Russia; nonetheless, European Russia is still significantly larger than any other European country. Ukraine, the second largest country on the continent, is only 603,000 km2, making it about 28 times smaller than its eastern neighbor, or seven times smaller than the European part of Russia. France is the third largest country in Europe, but the largest in the European Union. The Vatican City, often referred to as the Holy Sea, is both the smallest country in Europe and in the world, at just one km2. Population Russia is also the most populous country in Europe. It has around 144 million inhabitants across the country; in this case, around three quarters of the population live in the European part, which still gives it the largest population in Europe. Despite having the largest population, Russia is a very sparsely populated country due to its size and the harsh winters. Germany is the second most populous country in Europe, with 83 million inhabitants, while the Vatican has the smallest population. Worldwide, India and China are the most populous countries, with approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants each. Cities Moscow in Russia is ranked as the most populous city in Europe with around 13 million inhabitants, although figures vary, due to differences in the methodologies used by countries and sources. Some statistics include Istanbul in Turkey* as the largest city in Europe with its 15 million inhabitants, bit it has been excluded here as most of the country and parts of the city is located in Asia. Worldwide, Tokyo is the most populous city, with Jakarta the second largest and Delhi the third.

The European Copernicus Coastal Flood Awareness System (ECFAS) project will contribute to the evolution of the Copernicus Emergency Monitoring Service by demonstrating the technical and operational feasibility of a European Coastal Flood Awareness System. Specifically, ECFAS will provide a much-needed solution to bolster coastal resilience to climate risk and reduce population and infrastructure exposure by monitoring and supporting disaster preparedness, two factors that are fundamental to damage prevention and recovery if a storm hits.

The ECFAS Proof-of-Concept development will run from January 2021-December 2022. The ECFAS project is a collaboration between Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori IUSS di Pavia (Italy, ECFAS Coordinator), Mercator Ocean International (France), Planetek Hellas (Greece), Collecte Localisation Satellites (France), Consorzio Futuro in Ricerca (Italy), Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Spain), University of the Aegean (Greece), and EurOcean (Portugal), and is funded by the European Commission H2020 Framework Programme within the call LC-SPACE-18-EO-2020 - Copernicus evolution: research activities in support of the evolution of the Copernicus services.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme

The deliverables will have restricted access at least until the end of ECFAS

Description of the containing files inside the Dataset.

The dataset was divided at European country level, except the Adriatic area which was extracted as a region and not on a country level due to the small size of the countries. The buffer zone of each data was 10km inland in order to be correlated with the new Copernicus product Coastal Zone LU/LC.

Specifically, the dataset includes the new Coastal LU/LC product which was implemented by the EEA and became available at the end of 2020. Additional information collected in relation to the location and characteristics of transport (road and railway) and utility networks (power plants), population density and time variability. Furthermore, some of the publicly available datasets that were used in CEMS related to the abovementioned assets were gathered such as OpenStreetMap (building footprints, road and railway network infrastructures), GeoNames (populated places but also names of administrative units, rivers and lakes, forests, hills and mountains, parks and recreational areas, etc.), the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHS) and Global Human Settlement Population Grid (GHS-POP) generated by JRC. Also, the dataset contains 2 layers with statistics information regarding the population of Europe per sex and age divided in administrative units at NUTS level 3. The first layers includes information fro the whole Europe and the second layer has only the information regaridng the population at the Coastal area. Finally, the dataset includes the global database of Floods protection standars. Below there are tables which present the dataset.

* Adriatic folder contains the countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina

* Malta was added to the dataset

Copernicus Land Monitoring Service	Resolution	Comment
Coastal LU/LC	1:10.000	A Copernicus hotspot product to monitor landscape dynamics in coastal zones
EU-Hydro - Coastline	1:30.000	EU-Hydro is a dataset for all European countries providing the coastline
Natura 2000	1: 100000	A Copernicus hotspot product to monitor important areas for nature conservation
European Settlement Map	10m	A spatial raster dataset that is mapping human settlements in Europe
Imperviousness Density	10m	The percentage of sealed area
Impervious Built-up	10m	The part of the sealed surfaces where buildings can be found
Grassland 2018	10m	A binary grassland/non-grassland product
Tree Cover Density 2018	10m	Level of tree cover density in a range from 0-100%

Joint Research Center	Resolution	Comment
Global Human Settlement Population Grid GHS-POP)	250m	Residential population estimates for target year 2015
GHS settlement model layer (GHS-SMOD)	1km	The GHS Settlement Model grid delineates and classify settlement typologies via a logic of population size, population and built-up area densities
GHS-BUILT	10m	Built-up grid derived from Sentinel-2 global image composite for reference year 2018
ENACT 2011 Population Grid (ENACT-POP R2020A)	1km	The ENACT is a population density for the European Union that take into account major daily and monthly population variations
JRC Open Power Plants Database (JRC-PPDB-OPEN)	-	Europe’s open power plant database
GHS functional urban areas (GHS-FUA R2019A)	1km	City and its commuting zone (area of influence of the city in terms of labour market flows)
GHS Urban Centre Database (GHS-UCDB R2019A)	1km	Urban Centres defined by specific cut-off values on resident population and built-up surface

Additional Data	Resolution	Comment
Open Street Map (OSM)	-	BF, Transportation Network, Utilities Network, Places of Interest
CEMS	-	Data from Rapid Mapping activations in Europe
GeoNames	-	Populated places, Adm. units, Hydrography, Forests, Hills/Mountains, Parks, etc.
Global Administrative Areas	-	Administrative areas of all countries, at all levels of sub-division
NUTS3 Population Age/Sex Group	-	Eurostat population by age ansd sex statistics interesected with the NUTS3 Units
FLOPROS		A global database of FLOod PROtection Standards, which comprises information in the form of the flood return period associated with protection measures, at different spatial scales

Disclaimer:

ECFAS partners provide the data "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind. The ECFAS partners shall not be held liable resulting from the use of the information and data provided.

This project has received funding from the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101004211

The number of international tourist arrivals in Europe rose significantly in 2023 compared to the previous year across all the most visited destinations in the region. Overall, France was the most visited country by inbound travelers in Europe in 2023. That year, France - which also topped the ranking of the countries with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide - reported *** million international tourist arrivals, the highest figure recorded by the destination to date. Spain, Italy, and Turkey followed on the list in 2023. Europe is the most popular region for inbound tourism Europe is the region with the highest number of inbound tourism arrivals worldwide, with over *** million arrivals in 2023. Comparatively, there were nearly *** million international tourist arrivals in Asia and the Pacific, the second-most visited global region by inbound travelers that year. When breaking down the number of inbound arrivals in Europe by sub-region, Southern and Mediterranean countries reported the highest figures, both before and after the impact of COVID-19. Travel & Tourism Development Index France and Spain, among the most popular travel destinations in Europe in terms of inbound arrivals, were also among the leading countries in the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI). The TTDI index measures factors and policies that support a sustainable and resilient development of travel and tourism worldwide. In 2023, Spain ranked first with a TTDI score of ****, followed by France and Germany.

The population residing in Venice continuously grew from 1871, the year of the first census, reaching its peak in 1968 with ******* inhabitants right after the baby boom period. In the following decades, the municipality registered a slow but constant decline of residents, loosing ******* citizens in 55 years, especially in the historical city center. Depopulation of the historical city center Venice is one of the most visited cities in Italy. The San Marco square and the hundreds of bridges that connect the 118 islands of the historical city center attracted *** million people in 2023. However, given its geographical peculiarity, Venice is a fragile environment that must face the serious problem of overtourism. In fact, the city has the second-highest number of tourists per inhabitant in Europe. As a result, Venice is overcrowded and environmental pollution has risen, substantially decreasing the life quality of residents. Accessing to essential public services has become more difficult for inhabitants, and residential properties have been converted to accommodation facilities. As many residents have decided to relocate to the dry land, the historical city center recorded a dramatic depopulation trend. In 2023, less than ****** people still lived in the lagoon. Venice and Veneto: not only tourism Venice is the administrative center of Veneto, one of the most economically developed regions of the country. Veneto’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) amounted to *** billion euros in 2023. Only Lombardy, the most populated region, and Lazio, where Rome is located, recorded higher figures. North-eastern Italy, that comprises the regions of Veneto, Trentino-South Tyrol, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Emilia-Romagna, is the second economic driving force of the country. House furniture, wearing apparel, footwear, and clothing are the key business sectors of the regional industry. Internationally renowned companies and high-quality brands like Luxottica, Geox, and Calzedonia have their headquarters in Veneto.

In 2024, Germany was the leading EU country in terms of population, with around 85 million inhabitants. In 2050, approximately 89.2 million people will live in Germany, according to the forecast. See the total EU population figures for more information. The global population The global population is rapidly increasing. Between 1990 and 2015, it increased by around 2 billion people. Furthermore, it is estimated that the global population will have increased by another 1 billion by 2030. Asia is the continent with the largest population, followed by Africa and Europe. In Asia,the two most populous nations worldwide are located, China and India. In 2014, the combined population in China and India alone amounted to more than 2.6 billion people. for comparison, the total population in the whole continent of Europe is at around 741 million people. As of 2014, about 60 percent of the global population was living in Asia, with only approximately 10 percent in Europe and even less in the United States. Europe is the continent with the second-highest life expectancy at birth in the world, only barely surpassed by Northern America. In 2013, the life expectancy at birth in Europe was around 78 years. Stable economies and developing and emerging markets in European countries provide for good living conditions. Seven of the top twenty countries in the world with the largest gross domestic product in 2015 are located in Europe.

As of 2024, Romanians were Italy's largest foreign population, with over one million Romanians living in Italy during the period considered. Albania and Morocco followed with 416,000 and 412,000 people, respectively. From a regional perspective, the Northern regions had the largest foreign population. Lombardy had some 1.1 million foreign residents, the largest in the country.

Argentina has the largest Italian population outside of Italy, with around 1.17 million Italians residing in the South American country as of 2023. This community represented almost one fifth of all citizens residing outside the Republic, seven million. Germany hosted the second-largest community, with about 900,000 Italians, while in Brazil lived around 790,000 people with Italian citizenship. In total, three million Italians resided in the Americas, whereas 3.5 million in other European countries. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Argentina was one of the main destinations for Italian emigrants, in particular in the early 1900s. Increasing tendency to emigrate  Between 2006 and 2020, the number of Italians living abroad constantly increased. As of 2020, over five million Italians lived outside their homeland. Data related to the educational level of the emigrated population show that one third of the academics decided to leave the country. In 2017, 32.5 percent of Italians holding a university degree did not reside in Italy. Better jobs and lower taxes  When asked about the reasons why leaving their country, the opportunity to pay lower taxes and have better jobs played an important role. Indeed, about 43 percent of Italians declared to be ready to leave Italy for a place where taxes were lower. In addition, roughly 37 percent could leave Italy for better working chances.

In 2022, Wordle was the most popular Google search in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Spain. By contrast, in Germany and Italy, Ukraine was the most popular search on Google. In Brazil, Google users were interested the most in the 2022 elections.

Wordle!

Launched in October 2021 and purchased by the New York Times in January 2022, Wordle is an online game where players can play only once a day and have to guess a five-letter word in six tries. The game became an instant hit, with a surge of daily users at the beginning of the year. For instance, it was one of the most popular iPhone apps in the United States, being played mostly by millennials. Also in the United Kingdom, the game gained in popularity, with most players using the app every day.

Google search

As the leading search engine in many countries, Google is the most visited multi-platform web property. Indeed, most of Google's revenues come from Google properties, which include the search platform, the traffic generated by search distribution partners using Google.com as their default search in browsers, and the advertising on its own sites.

When surveyed in 2023 about the Six Nations rugby championship, over half of respondents from Wales answered that they were interested in the tournament. This was the highest share of interest among the nationalities questioned. The country where the Six Nations had the second-highest level of interest was Northern Ireland, which, alongside the Republic of Ireland, makes up the Irish national rugby team. Meanwhile, less than one-fifth of the Italian population claimed to have an interest in the competition.

This statistic shows the countries with the largest number of World Heritage cultural sites worldwide in 2014. Italy had ** cultural sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list. One of the most popular cultural sites located in Italy is the historic centre of Florence.

The capital of Italy, Rome is the most popular tourist destination in the country. In 2017, the Eternal City took third place on the European podium of cities which registered the highest number of international tourist arrivals. The greatest number of foreign visitors came from the United States of America, Japan and the United Kingdom, accounting for over ** thousand international tourist arrivals in the considered year considered.

Roma Città Eterna

The capital of the Roman Empire, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, and the home of many great artists, like Michelangelo or Raphael Sanzio – with its centuries-old history, culture and art, Rome offers a lot to visitors. The emblematic monuments of the city, the Colosseum and Roman Forum, were the two Italian tourist attractions which generated the highest income in 2017.

Tourism to Italy continuously on the rise

With over ** million international tourist arrivals registered in 2017, Italy ranked fifth on the world list of countries with the largest number of foreign tourist arrivals, while the expenditure of foreign visitors arriving to the country amounted in the year considered to **** billion U.S. dollars. Tourism is one of the most important industries in the country, generating about 13 percent of the Italian gross domestic product in 2017.

As of 2020, 131 thousand Italians were living in London. From 2015 to 2017, the number of Italian citizens who lived in the English Capital increased steadily. However, the Italian population living in London fell between 2018 and 2019. Nonetheless, the United Kingdom is the most popular destination country among Italian emigrants. During 2019, about 19 percent of all Italians who moved abroad notably chose the United Kingdom.

Student migration

The United Kingdom is a very common destination among young Italians in particular. In addition, a large percentage of emigrants who moved to the United Kingdom achieved a higher education. Specifically, 31 percent of Italians who live in the United Kingdom hold a university degree. However, the countries with most Italian emigrants holding a university degree are Brazil, Ireland, and the United States.

Historical migration of Italians

Currently, Argentina has the largest Italian population living abroad. Historically, Argentina was one of the most important destinations of Italian emigrants, especially during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Currently, Argentina ranks only tenth among the main destination countries of Italians. The most common destinations are, together with the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

As of January 2025, Italy had a population of around 59 million people. Over the past years, Italy's population decreased. An aging population and a very low birth rate are the main causes of such a contraction. Population forecasts predict that the number of residents in the country will be roughly 52.3 million by 2050. Birth rates and foreign population The birth rate in Italy declined continuously from 2002, when 9.4 babies per 1,000 inhabitants were born, to 2023, when this number dropped to 6.3. However, there was one increasing demographic trend in the country over the last years. The foreign-born population, in fact, increased from 2009 to 2023, surpassing six million people. Regional and gender distribution In Italy, female citizens were slightly more numerous than their male counterparts. The most populated region in 2025 was Lombardy, accounting for a sixth of the whole Italian population. Lazio and Campania followed, both around 5.6 million inhabitants. On the other hand, the smallest Italian region in terms of population was Aosta Valley, with only around 123,000 inhabitants.