CALABRIA - Population
A decreasing and ageing population
The population density in Calabria in 2002 was of 131.1 inhabitants per km2, lower than the national average of 190.2. The population density in the provinces ranges from 101 inhabitants per km2 in the province of Crotone to 178 inhabitants per km2 in the province of Reggio di Calabria.
Between 1951 and 1990 there was a slight but steady increase in the population of Calabria. Over this period, there was a steady drop in the age group of those under 25, while the population over 65 practically doubled. After some ups and downs in the period 1990-1994, the population started to decrease continuously, although at a slow pace, so that in 2002 the number of inhabitants in the region was almost 7% less than in 1990.
In the past, Calabria has experienced very high birth rates compared to the average Italian rates. In 1980, at 15.9 per thousand, the birth rate was in fact the second highest in Italy (11.7 per thousand) after Puglia. In the 1990s, however, it dropped sharply, and by 2001, at 9.2 per thousand, it was equal to the average of the Italian regions.
In 1999, the infant mortality rate was slightly over the national average with 5.5 deaths per 1 000 live births.
The death rate in Calabria has remained unchanged between 1980 and 2001, and equal to 8.5 per thousand, 1 percentage point below the average in Italy.
Although the number of births have exceeded the number of deaths in the region since 1990, the negative development of the population has been influenced by net migration (the share of emigration in Calabria is relatively high compared to the other regions).
Similarly to the rest of Italy, the age structure of the population has changed considerably during the 1990s, with a shift towards the older age groups. The share of the age group of those under 25 (31.3% in 2001), however, is the second highest amongst the Italian regions, together with Sicily, after Campania. The share of the population over 65 (17.2% in 2001), on the other hand, is slightly lower than the Italian average (18.2%).
In 2001, the share of resident population with foreign nationality in the region was equal to 1%, which is low compared to the national average of 2.5%.
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