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 2025, the largest south Italian city counts 7,780 inhabitants per square kilometer. Milan followed with around 7,500 residents per square kilometer, whereas Rome, the largest Italian city, registered a population density of only 2,135 people, 5,645 inhabitants per square kilometer less than Naples.

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 September of 2025.

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 October of 2025.

Italy IT: Urban Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 70.144 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 69.855 % for 2016. Italy IT: Urban Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 66.816 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 70.144 % in 2017 and a record low of 59.361 % in 1960. Italy IT: Urban Population: % of Total 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.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.; ; United Nations Population Division. World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

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 10.16 % 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 September of 2025.

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

Italy: Percent urban population: The latest value from 2024 is 72.29 percent, an increase from 71.97 percent in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 61.70 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Italy from 1960 to 2024 is 66.73 percent. The minimum value, 59.36 percent, was reached in 1960 while the maximum of 72.29 percent was recorded in 2024.

Italy IT: Urban Population Growth data was reported at 0.107 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.050 % for 2016. Italy IT: Urban Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.492 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.836 % in 1960 and a record low of -0.024 % in 1986. Italy IT: Urban Population Growth 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. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2014 Revision.; Weighted average;

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.

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.; ;

Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Italy was reported at 11478359 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Urban population in Italy was reported at 42642176 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Urban population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Historical dataset showing Italy urban population by year from 1960 to 2023.

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;

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.

Urban population growth (annual %) in Italy was reported at 0.42961 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Urban population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

This bar chart displays rural population (people) by capital city using the aggregation sum in Italy. The data is about countries per year.