Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Italy
Italy: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 76.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Italy, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Italy recorded 76.8% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Italy peaked at 76.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 70.4%, in 1950.
That places Italy 97th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 70.4% | — |
| 1955 | 71.2% | +1.1% |
| 1960 | 71.7% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 72.5% | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 73.2% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 73.7% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 74.2% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 74.4% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 74.5% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 74.7% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 74.8% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 75.4% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 76.2% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 76.6% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 76.8% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 70.8% | 70.4% | 71.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 72.1% | 71.7% | 72.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 73.4% | 73.2% | 73.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 74.3% | 74.2% | 74.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 74.6% | 74.5% | 74.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 75.1% | 74.8% | 75.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 76.4% | 76.2% | 76.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 76.8% | 76.8% | 76.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 94 Oman 77.1% compare
- 95 Armenia 77.0% compare
- 96 Ghana 76.8% compare
- 98 Kazakhstan 76.7% compare
- 99 Turks and Caicos Islands 76.6% compare
- 100 Turkmenistan 76.5% compare
More reference data data for Italy
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.927 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 41.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Italy?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Italy was 76.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 76.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.4% in 1950.
- How does Italy rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Italy ranks 97th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.