Istat, the incidence of foreigners grows: they are 8.9% of the population
57.8% of municipalities lost residents compared to the previous year (but in 2022 the share was 61.3%)
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Key points
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Foreigners resident in Italy stem the demographic slump: the number of non-Italian residents on 31 December 2023 rises to 5.253 million (+21.8 per thousand compared to 2022) and their incidence on the total population thus reaches 8.9% (it was 8.7% in 2022). This is certified by the Istat in the census 2023, which shows that the 58.971 million 'permanent residents' in the Belpaese are 58.971 million, slightly down (just 25,971 people, -0.4 per thousand) compared to the previous year.
South depopulates, North grows
The Statistical Institute points out that the slight retreat is the result of 'demographic trends across the territory that are far from homogeneous'. The greatest drop is found in the South (-3.7 per thousand) and in the Islands (-3.8 per thousand). The Centre also lost population (-1 per thousand) while the North-West (+2.3 per thousand) and the North-East (+2.0 per thousand) recorded increases. Negative variations in all the regions of the South (with a peak of -8.1 per thousand in Basilicata) and in all those of the Centre (-3.9 per thousand in Umbria). On the contrary, in the North (with the sole exception of theAosta Valley), the population grew everywhere, with a maximum of +6.3 per thousand in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.
Small Municipalities in Difficulty
.The demographic backwardness is measured in the registry offices of the municipalities: in 2023, 57.8% lost population compared to the previous year. But it should be noted that in 2022 the share was 61.3%. In contrast, in the remaining 3,332 municipalities (42.2%), where a total of 26.36 million people reside, an increase is observed.
The decline in population primarily affects municipalities under 5 thousand inhabitants, which record a negative change in 60.8% of cases. In these municipalities, which represent as many as 70% of Italian municipalities and in which 16.4% of the population is resident, the overall balance with respect to the 2022 Census is negative and amounts to approximately 25 thousand individuals.
The 60% of municipalities in the 50-100 thousand inhabitants class, where approximately 11% of the population resides, also lose population. Of the 44 municipalities with over 100 thousand inhabitants - where 23.2% of residents are concentrated - 25 are losing population compared to 2022, while among the remaining 19 the balance is positive. In the medium-small municipalities (from 5 thousand to 20 thousand and those from 20 thousand to 50 thousand inhabitants) - where approximately 50% of residents are concentrated - just over half lose population.
