Depopulation also in the smaller islands: La Maddalena loses 400 inhabitants in 5 years
Increasingly older population: compared to more than 2,100 over 70s, there are fewer than 1,500 under 20s
La Maddalena is also experiencing its demographic winter: in the last five years it has lost almost 400 citizens, the overall population in 2023 is equal to 10805 inhabitants.
A decrease that began in 2008, shortly after the departure of the United States Navy (but the Americans were not residents), when the population amounted to 11,841 people (1000 more than now).
The decrease is due to the halved birth rate compared to deaths. Numbers not compensated by the migration rate; indeed, in recent years there have been more emigrants than immigrants. A depopulation that has important economic, employment and social reasons.
Another worrying fact is the aging of the population: there are 821 Maddalena residents aged over 80, 603 children under 10. However, there are 1,309 residents between 70 and 80 years old, and only 856 children between 10 and 20.
![Carabinieri nelle scuole di Oschiri (foto concessa)](https://immagini.unionesarda.it/version/c:YzkyNmNhZDktY2Q4Yi00:MmRiYTE5ODMtNjJiMS00/image.webp?f=3%3A2&q=0.75&w=3840 "Oschiri, drug checks at school: the German shepherd "Black" is also in action")
