---

Population (in thousands), 2023: 59,499
Annual Population Growth Rate (%), 2023: -0.2%
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2023: 84 years
Share of Urban Population (%), 2023: 72%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population (%), 2020-2030: 0.1%
Net Migration Rate (per 1,000 population), 2023: 2.5
Share of Household Income, 2015-2023:
– Bottom 40%: 19%
– Top 20%: 42%
– Bottom 20%: 6%
Gini Coefficient, 2015-2023: 35
Palma Index of Income Inequality, 2015-2023: 1.4
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Per Capita (Current US$), 2015-2023: $38,373

Notes: Adolescent birth rate – Number of births per 1,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 10–14 and 15–19.
Share of household income – Percentage of income received by the 20 per cent of households with the highest income, by the 40 per cent of households with the lowest income and by the 20 per cent of households with the lowest income.
Gini Coefficient – Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.
Palma Index of income inequality – Palma index is defined as the ratio of the richest 10% of the population’s share of gross national income divided by the poorest 40%’s share.
GDP per capita (current US$) – GDP per capita is gross domestic product divided by midyear population. GDP is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in current US dollars.

Source: United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2024: The Future of Childhood in a Changing World – Statistical Compendium. UNICEF, Nov. 20, 2024.

---

Population, Midyear 2022: 59,037,474
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 199.47
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 84.06
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 57,544,258
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 24.05%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 28.35%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 37.14%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.

---

Life expectancy at birth, 2021: 82.7 years
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 23.6%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 34.9%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 7.6%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 14.2%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

---

“Italy is a parliamentary republic in Southern Europe, with a population of almost 61 million in 2012, making it the sixth most populous country in Europe. The country covers 301 340 km2 and extends from the north where it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia to the south where it includes the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Sicily and a cluster of other smaller islands. The country has 20 regions (the region of Trentino AltoAdige is split into the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano). In addition, enclaves within mainland Italy include the countries of San Marino and the Holy See, a papal state mostly enclosed by Rome, Italy’s capital (Fig. 1.1). Five out of the 20 regions (namely Valle d’Aosta, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Province of Trento, Province of Bolzano, Sicily and Sardinia) are granted home rule; the Constitution (article 116) acknowledges their powers in relation to legislation, administration and finance. In return, these regions have to finance their health-care and education systems, and most public infrastructure through their own means. These particular institutional arrangements were designed to take into account cultural differences and protect linguistic minorities. In fact, Italian is the major language throughout the country, although there are small areas in which German (in parts of Trentino-Alto-Adige), French (in Valle d’Aosta) and Slovene (in the TriesteGorizia area) are spoken. The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism but the Constitution guarantees freedom of worship to religious minorities, which are primarily Protestant, Muslim and Jewish.”

Source: Ferré F, de Belvis AG, Valerio L, Longhi S, Lazzari A, Fattore G, Ricciardi W, Maresso A. Italy: Health System Review. Health Systems in Transition, 2014, 16(4):1–168.

---

“Population density on average is 206.4 inhabitants per km2 and most of the population clusters around metropolitan areas and along the coasts (urban population accounts for 69% of total population). The structure of the population changed significantly between 1980 and 2012 owing to marked declines in fertility rates (from 1.6 to 1.4 births per woman) and increases in life expectancy at birth (from 74 to 82 years). Italy has one of the lowest total fertility rates in the world: in 2011, it was 1.4 births per woman, far below the replacement level (Table 1.1). The average population growth rate is, therefore, very low (0.3 in 2012), one of the lowest in the European Union (EU), and immigration is the source of most of this growth (World Bank, 2013). The population is also aging quite rapidly: in 2012 the proportion of the population aged 65 or over was 20.8%.”

Source: Ferré F, de Belvis AG, Valerio L, Longhi S, Lazzari A, Fattore G, Ricciardi W, Maresso A. Italy: Health System Review. Health Systems in Transition, 2014, 16(4):1–168.

---

---

World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated October 27, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.