Online Encyclopedia
Demographics of Italy
Italy is largely homogeneous linguistically and religiously but is diverse culturally, economically, and politically. Italy has the fifth-highest population density in Europe — about 200 persons per square kilometer (490 per square mile).
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Minority groups
Officially recognized minority language groups are:
Group | Population | Native language | Region |
Sardinian | 1 269 000 | Sardinian | Sardinia |
Friulian | 526 000 | Friulian | Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
Tyrolean | 290 000 | German | Trentino-South Tyrol |
Occitan | 178 000 | Occitan | Piedmont, Liguria, Calabria |
Gipsy | 130 000 | Romany | the whole country |
Albanian | 98 000 | Albanian | southern Italy |
Franco-Provençal | 90 000 | Franco-Provençal | Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Apulia |
Slovenian | 70 000 | Slovenian | Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
Ladin | 55 000 | Ladin | Trentino-South Tyrol, Veneto |
French | 20 000 | French | Aosta Valley |
Greek | 20 000 | Griko (Greek) | Calabria, Apulia |
Catalan | 18 000 | Alguerese (Catalan) | Sardinia |
Croatian | 2 600 | Croatian | Molise |
Carinthian | 2 000 | German | Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
Carnian | 1 400 | Friulian | Veneto |
Source: Ministero degli Interni del Governo Italiano.
Religion
Although Roman Catholicism is the majority religion — 85% of native-born citizens are nominally Catholic — all religious faiths are provided equal freedom before the law by the constitution.
Population
Population: 56,305,568 (Jan 2002 census) - 27,260,953 males and 29,044,615 females, presence: 56,133,039
Families: 21,503,088 (55,920,840 Italians in a familiar status, 2,60 Italians per family)
- Most populated town (residents) Rome (RM) 2,459,776
- Less populated town (residents) Morterone (LC) 33
- Greatest human density (residents per km²) Portici (NA) 13,032.1
- Greatest town territory (km²) Rome (RM) 1,285.30
- Smallest town territory (km²) Fiera di Primiero (TN) 0.15
Statistical indicators
Old data, from the CIA World Factbook 2000(?).
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14% (male 4,220,973; female 3,977,962)
15-64 years: 68% (male 19,413,219; female 19,596,668)
65 years and over: 18% (male 4,297,962; female 6,127,543) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.09% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 9.13 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 9.99 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.03 years
male: 75.85 years
female: 82.41 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.18 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Italian(s)
adjective: Italian
Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovenian-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)
Religions: predominantly Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community
Languages:
- Italian (official);
- German (official In South Tyrol, 1991: 287.503 german and 116.914 italian speaking);
- French (small French speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region; standard french is official only in the Valle d'Aosta, but the spoken dialects of this region and of some northern valleys of Piedmont are precisely French-Provencal, which reveals some differences from pure french).
- Slovenian (Slovenian-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area).
- Sardinian (in the island of Sardinia), now partly official;
- Ladin (official in parts of South Tyrol, the Dolomite mountains, between Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto), connected with swiss Romansh;
- Friulian (in the Friuli region), presents similarities with ladin.
- Occitan (in the southern Piedmont valleys)
- Catalan (in the town of Alghero, Sardinia).
- Albanian (villages in Calabria and Sicily);
- Greek (ancient dialects in villages of Calabria).
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1998)
male: NA%
female: NA%