LIGURIA - Population
Searching for a demographic balance
Population density in Liguria is high (290 inhabitants per km2 in 2001), and inferior only to the regions of Campania, Lombardia and Lazio. In the province of Genova, it reaches 477 inhabitants per km2, whereas in the provinces of Imperia and Savona it is around 176 inhabitants per km2 (2001 data).
The population of Liguria is in constant decline, in particular since the 1970s and most markedly in the cities of Genova, Savona and La Spezia. The age pyramid now looks more like a 'mushroom' resting on a fragile base. This phenomenon is suggested by all usual indicators (fertility rates, mortality rates, marriage rates, etc.).
According to census data, between 1991 and 2001 Liguria registered the largest decline in population (- 6.2%) among the Italian regions, whereas the population of Italy as a whole increased by 0.4% in the same time period.
The birth rate in Liguria is the lowest of Italy (7.2 per thousand in 2001). The infant mortality rate was about 5.4 deaths per 1 000 births in 1999. At the same time, the death rate is the highest of Italy (13.6 per thousand in 2001, while the national average is 9.6 per thousand).
In 2001, the births registered in the region were about 11 400, whereas the deaths were about 21 400!
The population structure is also unique in Liguria. At the beginning of 2001 the share of the population below 25 years of age was just 18.7% (in 2001), by far the lowest among the Italian regions, against a national average of 25.8%. On the contrary, the share of the population above 65 years of age was by far the highest among the Italian regions: 25% of the population, compared to a national average of 18.2%.
Net migration has been positive in Liguria in the last decade. In 1999, immigrations was equal to 6 476 persons, whereas emigration to 1 775. In 2001, about 38 300 persons registered in the region had a foreign nationality.
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