Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Italy
Italy: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 14.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Italy, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Italy recorded 14.9% for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in 2020.
The figure is up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Italy peaked at 15.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 1950.
That places Italy 96th out of 180 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10.6% | 10.3% | 10.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 13.0% | 11.7% | 14.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 15.0% | 14.8% | 15.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 15.3% | 15.3% | 15.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 15.4% | 15.3% | 15.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 14.9% | 15.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.6% | 14.6% | 14.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 14.9% | 14.9% | 14.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More reference data data for Italy
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.4267 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 2.76 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.5909 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.896 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.7 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 131.87 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Italy?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Italy was 14.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 15.4% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 1950.
- How does Italy rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Italy ranks 96th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. 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 minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.