Population density in Italy

Italy: Population density was 199.46 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
199.46 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
66th
of 215 countries
All-time high
203.98 people per sq. km of land area
in 2014
All-time low
171.83 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Population density in Italy, 1961–2023

050100150200196119922023

Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.

Analysis

Italy recorded 199.46 people per sq. km of land area for population density in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population density in Italy peaked at 203.98 people per sq. km of land area in 2014 and was at its lowest, 171.83 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.

That places Italy 66th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Population density in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Italy, 1961 to 2023.
Year people per sq. km of land area Change
1961 171.83 people per sq. km of land area
1962 173 people per sq. km of land area +0.7%
1963 174.26 people per sq. km of land area +0.7%
1964 175.7 people per sq. km of land area +0.8%
1965 177.19 people per sq. km of land area +0.8%
1966 178.57 people per sq. km of land area +0.8%
1967 179.87 people per sq. km of land area +0.7%
1968 181.01 people per sq. km of land area +0.6%
1969 182.03 people per sq. km of land area +0.6%
1970 183 people per sq. km of land area +0.5%
1971 183.85 people per sq. km of land area +0.5%
1972 184.9 people per sq. km of land area +0.6%
1973 186.16 people per sq. km of land area +0.7%
1974 187.38 people per sq. km of land area +0.7%
1975 188.5 people per sq. km of land area +0.6%
1976 189.45 people per sq. km of land area +0.5%
1977 190.25 people per sq. km of land area +0.4%
1978 190.93 people per sq. km of land area +0.4%
1979 191.49 people per sq. km of land area +0.3%
1980 191.88 people per sq. km of land area +0.2%
1981 192.11 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
1982 192.25 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
1983 192.32 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1984 192.37 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1985 192.42 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1986 192.43 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1987 192.45 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1988 192.54 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1989 192.69 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
1990 192.85 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
1991 192.98 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
1992 193.12 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
1993 193.23 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
1994 193.27 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1995 193.28 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1996 193.33 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1997 193.43 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
1998 193.49 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
1999 193.52 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
2000 192.56 people per sq. km of land area -0.5%
2001 192.67 people per sq. km of land area +0.1%
2002 193.06 people per sq. km of land area +0.2%
2003 194.1 people per sq. km of land area +0.5%
2004 195.55 people per sq. km of land area +0.7%
2005 196.7 people per sq. km of land area +0.6%
2006 197.49 people per sq. km of land area +0.4%
2007 198.69 people per sq. km of land area +0.6%
2008 200.23 people per sq. km of land area +0.8%
2009 201.39 people per sq. km of land area +0.6%
2010 202.28 people per sq. km of land area +0.4%
2011 202.99 people per sq. km of land area +0.3%
2012 203.54 people per sq. km of land area +0.3%
2013 203.95 people per sq. km of land area +0.2%
2014 203.98 people per sq. km of land area +0.0%
2015 203.67 people per sq. km of land area -0.2%
2016 203.29 people per sq. km of land area -0.2%
2017 202.9 people per sq. km of land area -0.2%
2018 202.48 people per sq. km of land area -0.2%
2019 201.98 people per sq. km of land area -0.2%
2020 201 people per sq. km of land area -0.5%
2021 199.97 people per sq. km of land area -0.5%
2022 199.56 people per sq. km of land area -0.2%
2023 199.46 people per sq. km of land area -0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 177.05 people per sq. km of land area 171.83 people per sq. km of land area 182.03 people per sq. km of land area 9
1970s 187.59 people per sq. km of land area 183 people per sq. km of land area 191.49 people per sq. km of land area 10
1980s 192.35 people per sq. km of land area 191.88 people per sq. km of land area 192.69 people per sq. km of land area 10
1990s 193.25 people per sq. km of land area 192.85 people per sq. km of land area 193.52 people per sq. km of land area 10
2000s 196.24 people per sq. km of land area 192.56 people per sq. km of land area 201.39 people per sq. km of land area 10
2010s 203.11 people per sq. km of land area 201.98 people per sq. km of land area 203.98 people per sq. km of land area 10
2020s 200 people per sq. km of land area 199.46 people per sq. km of land area 201 people per sq. km of land area 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 63 Marshall Islands 215.71 people per sq. km of land area compare
  2. 64 Antigua and Barbuda 212.08 people per sq. km of land area compare
  3. 65 Nepal 207.15 people per sq. km of land area compare
  4. 67 Saint Kitts and Nevis 179.84 people per sq. km of land area compare
  5. 68 Andorra 172.03 people per sq. km of land area compare
  6. 69 Guatemala 169.14 people per sq. km of land area compare

See the full ranking of 263 places →

More urban development data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is population density in Italy?
Population density in Italy was 199.46 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest population density recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 203.98 people per sq. km of land area in 2014.
What is the lowest population density recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 171.83 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
How does Italy rank for population density?
Italy ranks 66th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
Is population density rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy data come from?
The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population density in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://urban.statizoid.com/stat/population-density-people-per-sq-km-of-land-area/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Population density (people per sq. km of land area)
Unit
people per sq. km of land area
Source
FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
263 places, 15,281 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.