Population of Italy and Religion Percentage
Italy, officially the Italian Republic is a country in Southern Europe. Italy is the fifth most populous country in Europe & the third-most populous member state of the European Union.
According to the Institute of National Statistics, The population of Italy continues to decrease and as of 1st January 2020, the population is 60,317,000 (60.3 million), a decrease of 116,000 from 2019. As per the Census estimates, the population of Italy in 2024 is 58,850,817 (59 million)
Source: Institute of National Statistics, Italy
Italy Demography
| Italy | 2024 Population |
| Total Population | 58,850,817 (59 million) |
| Europe Rank | 5 |
| Land Area | 113,570 sq. mi (294,140 sq. km) |
| Area Rank | 10th |
| Pop. Density | 510 person/sq. mi (197/sq.km) |
| Capital City | Rome |
| Fertility Rate* | 1.24 |
| Median Age | 46.5 years |
| Life Expectancy | 82.6 years |
| Urban Population | 69.5 % |
Source: Institute of National Statistics, Italy
Religion in Italy
Christianity is the majority Religion in Italy. Its followed by almost 84% of the population and Roman Catholicism is its main branch. Catholicism is followed by 79.20% of the population, Next comes Eastern Orthodoxy (3.5%), Protestantism (0.3%), and the rest follows other Christian branches.
Italy has less percentage o non-believer or unaffiliated population as compared to other European nations, only 12% of the population is unaffiliated or doesn’t believe in any religion.
3.2% identify as some other non-Christian faith and it includes Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jews, and smaller faiths.
Religion in Italy
| Religion/ Affiliations | Percentage |
| Christianity | 84.4% |
| Catholicism | -79.20% |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | -3.50% |
| Protestantism | -0.30% |
| Other Christian | -1.40% |
| Other Religions | 3.2% |
| Islam | -1.00% |
| Buddhism | -0.40% |
| Hinduism/Sikhism | -0.30% |
| Judaism | -0.10% |
| Smaller faiths | -1.40% |
| Unaffiliated | 12.6% |
| Agnosticism | -7.50% |
| Atheism | -4.10% |
| Undeclared | -1.00% |
Source: estimates
Italy Historical Population
The population of Italy almost doubled during the twentieth century. In addition, after centuries of net emigration, from the 1980s Italy has experienced large-scale immigration for the first time in modern history. According to the Italian government, there was an estimated 5,234,000 foreign nationals resident in Italy on 1 January 2019.
Due to High fertility and birth rates until the 1970s, the Population has steady growth. But after the 1980s it saw a decline, leading to rapid population aging. The total fertility rate had climbed temporarily from an all-time low of 1.18 children per woman in 1995 to 1.46 in 2010 & dropped again to 1.24 in 2020.
Due to large-scale migration in the 2000s, the total population reached its peak at 60,345,917 (60.4 million) in 2014 & then stated decreasing, estimated to be around 59 million in 2022.
| Year | Population | Percentage Change |
| 1861 | 21,777,334 | – |
| 1871 | 26,801,154 | 23.10% |
| 1881 | 28,459,628 | 6.20% |
| 1901 | 32,475,253 | 14.10% |
| 1911 | 34,671,377 | 6.80% |
| 1921 | 37,973,977 | 9.50% |
| 1931 | 41,176,671 | 8.40% |
| 1936 | 42,993,602 | 4.40% |
| 1951 | 47,515,537 | 10.50% |
| 1961 | 50,623,569 | 6.50% |
| 1971 | 54,136,547 | 6.90% |
| 1981 | 56,556,911 | 4.50% |
| 1991 | 56,778,031 | 0.40% |
| 2001 | 56,995,744 | 0.40% |
| 2011 | 59,433,744 | 4.30% |
| 2021 | 59,257,566 | -0.30% |
Italy Population by Region
The distribution of the population in Italy is widely uneven; the most densely populated areas are the Po Valley (which accounts for almost half of the national population) in northern Italy and the metropolitan areas of Rome and Naples in central and southern Italy. Other vast areas are very sparsely populated, like the plateaus of Basilicata, the Alps and Apennines highlands, and the island of Sardinia.
Lombardy is the most populated region followed by Lazio & Campania. Aosta Valley is the least populated region of Italy. Let’s have a look at the Population of Italy region-wise.
| # | Region | Population 2022 |
| 1 | Lombardy | 9,968,479 |
| 2 | Lazio | 5,722,270 |
| 3 | Campania | 5,607,998 |
| 4 | Veneto | 4,858,449 |
| 5 | Sicily | 4,812,802 |
| 6 | Emilia Romagna | 4,432,411 |
| 7 | Piedmont | 4,257,828 |
| 8 | Puglia | 3,917,344 |
| 9 | Tuscany | 3,681,112 |
| 10 | Calabria | 1,851,367 |
| 11 | Sardinia | 1,581,923 |
| 12 | Liguria | 1,510,003 |
| 13 | Marche | 1,491,941 |
| 14 | Abruzzo | 1,275,831 |
| 15 | Friuli Venezia Giulia | 1,199,071 |
| 16 | Trentino Alto Adige | 1,079,079 |
| 17 | Umbria | 861,154 |
| 18 | Basilicata | 541,748 |
| 19 | Molise | 291,843 |
| 20 | Aosta Valley / Aosta Valley | 123,494 |
Source: Institute of National Statistics, Italy
Top Cities in Italy by Population
| Rank | City | Region | 2019 estimate |
| 1 | Rome | Lazio | 2,837,332 |
| 2 | Milan | Lombardy | 1,396,059 |
| 3 | Naples | Campania | 962,589 |
| 4 | Turin | Piedmont | 870,952 |
| 5 | Palermo | Sicily | 657,960 |
| 6 | Genoa | Liguria | 574,090 |
| 7 | Bologna | Emilia-Romagna | 390,625 |
| 8 | Florence | Tuscany | 372,038 |
| 9 | Bari | Apulia | 322,316 |
| 10 | Catania | Sicily | 311,402 |
| 11 | Verona | Veneto | 259,608 |
| 12 | Venice | Veneto | 259,150 |
| 13 | Messina | Sicily | 229,565 |
| 14 | Padua | Veneto | 212,395 |
| 15 | Trieste | Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 203,234 |
| 16 | Brescia | Lombardy | 199,579 |
| 17 | Parma | Emilia-Romagna | 198,292 |
| 18 | Taranto | Apulia | 195,227 |
| 19 | Prato | Tuscany | 194,913 |
| 20 | Modena | Emilia-Romagna | 186,830 |
Source: Institute of National Statistics, Italy
Italian Diaspora
People of Italian ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. As per the US Census 2020. the Italian ancestry is estimated at 2.5 million people. It also forms an important people Group in Argentina (47% of the Population), Uruguay ( 35% of the population), Brazil (15% of the population), and Canada (4% of the population).
read more about Italian Ancestry in America
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