In 2024, 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 46.6 years, but in some regions this figure is even higher. Liguria records an average age of 49.5 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.

In the past years, the share of people aged over 65 years grew constantly in Italy. Estimates for 2024 report that 24.3 percent of the Italian inhabitants are aged 65 years and older. Moreover, 63.5 percent of the residents are predicted to be aged between 15 and 64 years and only 12.2 percent to be 14 years old and younger. In 2023, the Italian region with the highest proportion of kids up to 14 years old was Trentino-South Tyrol, with 14.4 percent. On the other hand, 28.9 percent of the people in Liguria were over 65 years, making it the region with the highest share of elderly among its residents. Causes of an aging population The growing proportion of old people in Italy is due to two main factors. First, the birth rate in the country decreased over the past years. In 2023, less than seven children were born per 1,000 inhabitants, two fewer infants than in 2002. Second, life expectancy increased over the same period. A 65-year-old Italian woman could expect to have almost 21 more years of life ahead in 2002, while by 2023 this number reached 22.4. The increase for men was even greater, with male life expectancy at 65 growing from around 17 years in 2002 to 19.5 years in 2023. Future demographic trends The aging trend in the Italian population is not expected to change in the upcoming years. Projections made in 2022 predicted that the country's population is going to sensibly decrease in numbers. Population forecasts for 2050 account for slightly more than 52 million citizens, around seven million fewer compared to 2020.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the data for the Italy, TX population pyramid, which represents the Italy population distribution across age and gender, using estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018-2022 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, TX, is 41.5.
• Old-age dependency ratio, which is the number of persons aged 65 or over per 100 persons aged 15-64, for Italy, TX, is 28.6.
• Total dependency ratio for Italy, TX is 70.1.
• Potential support ratio, which is the number of youth (working age population) per elderly, for Italy, TX is 3.5.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018-2022 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 population analysis. Total expected values are 18 and are define above in the age groups section.
• Population (Male): The male population in the Italy for the selected age group is shown in the following column.
• Population (Female): The female population in the Italy for the selected age group is shown in the following column.
• Total Population: The total population of the Italy 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 Population by Age. You can refer the same here

Projections published in 2022 estimated that the population in Italy will decrease in the following years. In January 2024, the Italian population added up to 59 million people, but in 2030 Italians will be 57.5 million individuals. Twenty years later, the population will be around 52.3 million people. Low birth rate and old population The birth rate in Italy has constantly dropped in the last years. In 2023, 6.4 children were born per 1,000 inhabitants, three babies less than in 2002. Nationwide, the highest number of births was registered in the southern regions, whereas central Italy had the lowest number of children born every 1,000 people. More specifically, the birth rate in the south stood at 7 infants, while in the center it was equal to 5.9 births. Consequently, the population in Italy has aged over the last decade. Between 2002 and 2024, the age distribution of the Italian population showed a growing share of people aged 65 years and older. As a result, the share of young people decreased. The European exception Similarly, the population in Europe is estimated to decrease in the coming years. In 2024, there were 740 million people living in Europe. In 2100, the figure is expected to drop to 586 million inhabitants. However, projections of the world population suggest that Europe might be the only continent experiencing a population decrease. For instance, the population in Africa could grow from 1.41 billion people in 2022 to 3.92 billion individuals in 2100, the fastest population growth worldwide.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the Italy town population by age. The dataset can be utilized to understand the age distribution and demographics of Italy town.

Content

The dataset constitues the following three datasets

• Italy, New York Age Group Population Dataset: A complete breakdown of Italy town age demographics from 0 to 85 years, distributed across 18 age groups
• Italy, New York Age Cohorts Dataset: Children, Working Adults, and Seniors in Italy town - Population and Percentage Analysis
• Italy, New York Population Pyramid Dataset: Age Groups, Male and Female Population, and Total Population for Demographics Analysis

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/.

In 2024, Liguria was the region with the largest share of the population aged 65 years or older. By contrast, 20.9 percent of inhabitants in Campania belonged to this age group, the lowest percentage nationwide. Data showing the age distribution by macro-region reveal that the north-west of Italy had the oldest population, while people living in the southern regions were the youngest nationwide.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the area of modern-day Italy, at the time a collection of various states and kingdoms, was estimated to have a population of nineteen million, a figure which would grow steadily throughout the century, and by the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, the population would rise to just over 26 million.

Italy’s population would see its first major disruption during the First World War, as Italy would join the Allied Forces in their fight against Austria-Hungary and Germany. In the First World War, Italy’s population would largely stagnate at 36 million, only climbing again following the end of the war in 1920. While Italy would also play a prominent role in the Second World War, as the National Fascist Party-led country would fight alongside Germany against the Allies, Italian fatalities from the war would not represent a significant percentage of Italy’s population compared to other European countries in the conflict. As a result, Italy would exit the Second World War with a population of just over 45 million.

From this point onwards the Italian economy started to recover from the war, and eventually boomed, leading to increased employment and standards of living, which facilitated steady population growth until the mid-1980s, when falling fertility and birth rates would cause growth to largely cease. From this point onward, the Italian population would remain at just over 57 million, until the 2000s when it began growing again due to an influx of migrants, peaking in 2017 at just over 60 million people. In the late 2010s, however, the Italian population began declining again, as immigration slowed and the economy weakened. As a result, in 2020, Italy is estimated to have fallen to a population of 59 million.

The statistic depicts the median age in Italy from 1950 to 2100. The median age of a population is an index that divides the population into two equal groups: half of the population is older than the median age and the other half younger. In 2020, the median age of Italy's population was 46.4 years.

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.