Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Italy
Italy: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 69.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Italy, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Italy is 69.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Italy peaked at 69.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 1000.
Italy ranks 108th of 238 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 108 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 1 |
| 1100s | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 1 |
| 1200s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 1 |
| 1300s | 21.4% | 21.4% | 21.4% | 1 |
| 1400s | 17.6% | 17.6% | 17.6% | 1 |
| 1500s | 21.0% | 21.0% | 21.0% | 1 |
| 1600s | 18.4% | 18.4% | 18.4% | 1 |
| 1700s | 16.9% | 16.9% | 16.9% | 1 |
| 1710s | 17.0% | 17.0% | 17.0% | 1 |
| 1720s | 17.0% | 17.0% | 17.0% | 1 |
| 1730s | 17.1% | 17.1% | 17.1% | 1 |
| 1740s | 17.1% | 17.1% | 17.1% | 1 |
| 1750s | 17.2% | 17.2% | 17.2% | 1 |
| 1760s | 17.3% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 1 |
| 1770s | 17.3% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 1 |
| 1780s | 17.4% | 17.4% | 17.4% | 1 |
| 1790s | 17.4% | 17.4% | 17.4% | 1 |
| 1800s | 17.5% | 17.5% | 17.5% | 1 |
| 1810s | 17.3% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 1 |
| 1820s | 17.1% | 17.1% | 17.1% | 1 |
| 1830s | 16.8% | 16.8% | 16.8% | 1 |
| 1840s | 16.6% | 16.6% | 16.6% | 1 |
| 1850s | 16.4% | 16.4% | 16.4% | 1 |
| 1860s | 16.2% | 16.2% | 16.2% | 1 |
| 1870s | 20.4% | 20.4% | 20.4% | 1 |
| 1880s | 24.6% | 24.6% | 24.6% | 1 |
| 1890s | 28.7% | 28.7% | 28.7% | 1 |
| 1900s | 32.9% | 32.9% | 32.9% | 1 |
| 1910s | 37.1% | 37.1% | 37.1% | 1 |
| 1920s | 41.3% | 41.3% | 41.3% | 1 |
| 1930s | 45.5% | 45.5% | 45.5% | 1 |
| 1940s | 49.6% | 49.6% | 49.6% | 1 |
| 1950s | 56.4% | 54.6% | 58.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 61.7% | 59.3% | 64.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 65.7% | 64.5% | 66.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 66.8% | 66.7% | 66.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 66.8% | 66.7% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.6% | 67.2% | 68.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.2% | 68.2% | 69.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.6% | 69.5% | 69.7% | 6 |
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 do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Italy?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Italy was 69.7% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 69.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 1000.
- How does Italy rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Italy ranks 108th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.