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Palermo is a metropolitan municipality in the province of Palermo, Sicilia region. With a population of 626.273 inhabitants and a density of 3900 per km², it covers an area of 160.6 km². The average declared income is 23.943 €.

Palermo in numbers: the analysis

Palermo has grown substantially since 1951: from 490,692 inhabitants then to 626,273 in 2026, an increase of 27.6%.

The generational balance is in line with the norm: the ageing index of Palermo is 184 (over-65s per 100 under-14s).

Demographic projections to 2050 estimate about 543,470 inhabitants for Palermo: an expected decline of 13.2% from today.

The average municipality in the province of Palermo has about 14,577 residents: Palermo has 43 times as many.

Palermo is among Italy's major centres: the country's no. 5 municipality by population out of 7896.

At the regional level it sits near the very top: no. 1 most populous of the 391 municipalities in Sicilia.

Palermo is the most populous municipality in the province of Palermo, out of 82 in total.

Population Trend

Grafico a linee
AnnoPopolazione
2019652.720
2020647.422
2021637.885
2022635.439
2023632.499
2024630.427
2025628.693
2026626.273

Male/Female Ratio

Grafico a ciambella
Valore%
Men299.72047.9%
Women326.55352.1%

Demographic Statistics

Men299.720
Women326.553
Year2026

Demographic Indices

-0.38%
Annual change
change from the previous year
183.7
Ageing index
65+ / 0-14 × 100
59
Dependency ratio
(0-14 + 65+) / 15-64 × 100
141.7
Workforce replacement
60-64 / 15-19 × 100
131.7
Workforce structure
40-64 / 15-39 × 100
19
Child dependency
0-4 / women 15-49 × 100
45.22
Average age
weighted average age

Births (recent years)

Grafico a barre
Valore
20215121
20225075
20234756
20244509
20254327

Historical Population (1951-present)

Grafico a linee
AnnoPopulation
1951490.692
1961587.985
1971642.814
1981701.782
1991698.556
2001686.722
2011657.561
2019652.720
2020647.422
2021637.885
2022635.439
2023632.499
2024630.427
2025628.693
2026626.273

Marital Status (2025)

Grafico a ciambella
Valore%
Single545.69443.4%
Married581.61446.3%
Divorced40.8003.2%
Widowed88.4267.0%

School-Age Population (2026)

Total 0-18 years: 108.317

Grafico a barre
Valore
Nido (0-2)13.593
Infanzia (3-5)15.434
Primaria (6-10)28.366
Medie (11-13)18.173
Superiori (14-18)32.751

Foreign residents

Foreign presence and top citizenships

Main citizenships
Foreign residents
25.948
Foreign-resident share: 4.13%
Main citizenships
Bangladesh6397
Sri Lanka2730
Romania2502
Ghana2464
Filippine1639
Source: ISTAT, MEF, ISPRA, EEA · Year: 2025 · updated Jun 07, 2026