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.

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.

Naples is the Italian city with the highest population density. As of 2024, the largest south Italian city counts 7,800 inhabitants per square kilometer. Milan followed with 7,600 residents per square kilometer, whereas Rome, the largest Italian city, registered a population density of only 2,100 people, 5,700 inhabitants per square kilometer less than Naples.

Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Florence, and Turin recorded a population increase between 2022 and 2023. In fact, all the other largest municipalities registered a decrease, most prominently in the south and on the islands. However, Naples is the third-largest Italian municipality, after Rome and Milan.

Population in largest city in Italy was reported at 4331974 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Population in largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Throughout the early modern period, the largest city in Italy was Naples. The middle ages saw many metropolitan areas along the Mediterranean grow to become the largest in Europe, as they developed into meeting ports for merchants travelling between the three continents. Italy, throughout this time, was not a unified country, but rather a collection of smaller states that had many cultural similarities, and political control of these cities regularly shifted over the given period. Across this time, the population of each city generally grew between each century, but a series of plague outbreaks in the 1600s devastated the populations of Italy's metropolitan areas, which can be observed here. Naples At the beginning of the 1500s, the Kingdom of Naples was taken under the control of the Spanish crown, where its capital grew to become the largest city in the newly-expanding Spanish Empire. Prosperity then grew in the 16th and 17th centuries, before the city's international importance declined in the 18th century. There is also a noticeable dip in Naples' population size between 1600 and 1700, due to an outbreak of plague in 1656 that almost halved the population. Today, Naples is just the third largest city in Italy, behind Rome and Milan. Rome Over 2,000 years ago, Rome became the first city in the world to have a population of more than one million people, and in 2021, it was Italy's largest city with a population of 2.8 million; however it did go through a period of great decline in the middle ages. After the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476CE, Rome's population dropped rapidly, below 100,000 inhabitants in 500CE. 1,000 years later, Rome was an important city in Europe as it was the seat of the Catholic Church, and it had a powerful banking sector, but its population was just 55,000 people as it did not have the same appeal for merchants or migrants held by the other port cities. A series of reforms by the Papacy in the late-1500s then saw significant improvements to infrastructure, housing, and sanitation, and living standards rose greatly. Over the following centuries, the Papacy consolidated its power in the center of the Italian peninsula, which brought stability to the region, and the city of Rome became a cultural center. Across this period, Rome's population grew almost three times larger, which was the highest level of growth of these cities.

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in Italy was reported at 10.19 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

IT: Population in Largest City data was reported at 3,755,830.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,737,750.000 Person for 2016. IT: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 3,416,411.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,755,830.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 2,455,581.000 Person in 1960. IT: Population in Largest City 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: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;

This dataset is about cities in Italy. It has 1,118 rows. It features 3 columns: country, and population.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the Italy town population over the last 20 plus years. It lists the population for each year, along with the year on year change in population, as well as the change in percentage terms for each year. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population change of Italy town across the last two decades. For example, using this dataset, we can identify if the population is declining or increasing. If there is a change, when the population peaked, or if it is still growing and has not reached its peak. We can also compare the trend with the overall trend of United States population over the same period of time.

Key observations

In 2023, the population of Italy town was 1,109, a 0.09% decrease year-by-year from 2022. Previously, in 2022, Italy town population was 1,110, an increase of 0.82% compared to a population of 1,101 in 2021. Over the last 20 plus years, between 2000 and 2023, population of Italy town increased by 9. In this period, the peak population was 1,170 in the year 2017. The numbers suggest that the population has already reached its peak and is showing a trend of decline. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Data Coverage:

• From 2000 to 2023

Variables / Data Columns

• Year: This column displays the data year (Measured annually and for years 2000 to 2023)
• Population: The population for the specific year for the Italy town is shown in this column.
• Year on Year Change: This column displays the change in Italy town population for each year compared to the previous year.
• Change in Percent: This column displays the year on year change as a percentage. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Italy town Population by Year. You can refer the same here

Rome is the largest Italian metropolitan area. As of 2024, the urban area of the capital city has a population of around 4.23 million people. Milan and Naples follow with 3.25 million and 2.97 million people, respectively. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Naples, located in the south, has the highest population density. Rome, Milan, and Naples are also Italy's largest cities.

Urban population (% of total population) in Italy was reported at 72.29 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Italy IT: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 8.953 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 8.920 % for 2016. Italy IT: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 8.946 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.181 % in 1972 and a record low of 8.240 % in 1960. Italy IT: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population 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: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted Average;

All cities with a population > 1000 or seats of adm div (ca 80.000)Sources and ContributionsSources : GeoNames is aggregating over hundred different data sources. Ambassadors : GeoNames Ambassadors help in many countries. Wiki : A wiki allows to view the data and quickly fix error and add missing places. Donations and Sponsoring : Costs for running GeoNames are covered by donations and sponsoring.Enrichment:add country name

Our analysis focuses on seven metropolitan cities across Italy. Here, we report the number of spatial cells of the mobile phone network and the population (in thousands) of each of these cities split across 6 age groups. Population data is retrieved from the 2011 Italian census and comprises all the census sections within the phone cells considered for each city. It is important to highlight that in each cell of the network there can be several mobile phone users, thus we cannot estimate the fraction of the census population included in our data set. Note that the age groups provided by the Italian census do not perfectly match those of the Telecom Italia dataset.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the Italy town population distribution across 18 age groups. It lists the population in each age group along with the percentage population relative of the total population for Italy town. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population distribution of Italy town by age. For example, using this dataset, we can identify the largest age group in Italy town.

Key observations

The largest age group in Italy, New York was for the group of age 65 to 69 years years with a population of 139 (13.30%), according to the ACS 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates. At the same time, the smallest age group in Italy, New York was the 85 years and over years with a population of 4 (0.38%). Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates

Age groups:

• Under 5 years
• 5 to 9 years
• 10 to 14 years
• 15 to 19 years
• 20 to 24 years
• 25 to 29 years
• 30 to 34 years
• 35 to 39 years
• 40 to 44 years
• 45 to 49 years
• 50 to 54 years
• 55 to 59 years
• 60 to 64 years
• 65 to 69 years
• 70 to 74 years
• 75 to 79 years
• 80 to 84 years
• 85 years and over

Variables / Data Columns

• Age Group: This column displays the age group in consideration
• Population: The population for the specific age group in the Italy town is shown in this column.
• % of Total Population: This column displays the population of each age group as a proportion of Italy town total population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Italy town Population by Age. You can refer the same here

In 2024, the capital of Italy, Rome, maintained its position as the most populous city of the Italian peninsula. Over the last decade, the number of the Eternal City’s inhabitants has been growing, from about 2.6 million residents in 2012 to over 2.8 million individuals registered in 2020. From 2021, however, its population slightly dropped, reaching 2.75 million in 2024. Lazio, the region on the Tyrrhenian SeaRome is located in the region of Lazio. This central region, which in the west borders on the Tyrrhenian Sea, is the second-largest Italian region in terms of population, after Lombardy and before Campania. Expensive life in the Italian capital Despite being one of the most affordable European capitals in terms of average monthly rent, Rome occupies the second place on the Italian podium of cities with the highest dwelling rental prices. In 2019, an average monthly rent for a single room amounted to 448 euros, whereas the average monthly price in 2020 of a double room estimated at 287 euro per person, without utilities.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Rome, Italy metro area from 1950 to 2025.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the data for the Italy, New York population pyramid, which represents the Italy town population distribution across age and gender, using estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates. It lists the male and female population for each age group, along with the total population for those age groups. Higher numbers at the bottom of the table suggest population growth, whereas higher numbers at the top indicate declining birth rates. Furthermore, the dataset can be utilized to understand the youth dependency ratio, old-age dependency ratio, total dependency ratio, and potential support ratio.

Key observations

• Youth dependency ratio, which is the number of children aged 0-14 per 100 persons aged 15-64, for Italy, New York, is 17.6.
• Old-age dependency ratio, which is the number of persons aged 65 or over per 100 persons aged 15-64, for Italy, New York, is 46.2.
• Total dependency ratio for Italy, New York is 63.8.
• Potential support ratio, which is the number of youth (working age population) per elderly, for Italy, New York is 2.2.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.

Age groups:

• Under 5 years
• 5 to 9 years
• 10 to 14 years
• 15 to 19 years
• 20 to 24 years
• 25 to 29 years
• 30 to 34 years
• 35 to 39 years
• 40 to 44 years
• 45 to 49 years
• 50 to 54 years
• 55 to 59 years
• 60 to 64 years
• 65 to 69 years
• 70 to 74 years
• 75 to 79 years
• 80 to 84 years
• 85 years and over

Variables / Data Columns

• Age Group: This column displays the age group for the Italy town population analysis. Total expected values are 18 and are define above in the age groups section.
• Population (Male): The male population in the Italy town for the selected age group is shown in the following column.
• Population (Female): The female population in the Italy town for the selected age group is shown in the following column.
• Total Population: The total population of the Italy town for the selected age group is shown in the following column.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Italy town Population by Age. You can refer the same here

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Modena, Italy metro area from 1950 to 2025.