Older people, fewer births, and a rejuvenation thanks to foreigners: here's a snapshot of the Sardinian population.
Istat analysis based on the census in Sardinia: a quarter of residents live in towns with between 20,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, with the number of over-85s increasing.Per restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
Ever fewer and ever older. In 2024, Sardinians residing on the island numbered just over one and a half million, 1,562,381, a decrease compared to 2023 (-8,072 individuals; -0.5%). This is what ISTAT (National Institute of Statistics) reports based on the Italian Population Census.
This decrease is determined by the negative trend of the natural balance (-11,467 units) and of the internal migratory balance (-225), not compensated by the positive trend of the migratory balance with foreign countries (+2,412) and of the statistical adjustment (+1,208).
All the provinces contribute, albeit to different degrees, to determining this regional trend: in particular, Sassari is the province with the lowest natural balance (-3,113).
The female population outnumbers the male population by over 26,000, at 50.9%, primarily due to women's greater longevity. More than half of Sardinians live in the two provinces of Sassari (30.2%) and Cagliari (26.7%), the only ones with more than 400,000 inhabitants.
The province of South Sardinia follows, with nearly 330,000 residents, accounting for 21.1% of the region's residents. The remaining two provinces account for less than a quarter of the residents (22.0%). There were 54,091 registered foreigners (up 2,050 compared to 2023), representing 3.5% of the regional population.
They come from 156 countries, mainly from Romania (20.2%), Senegal (7.8%) and Morocco (6.9%).
In Sardinia, as in the rest of the country, a new record low birth rate has been reached. There were 7,052 births (-190 compared to 2023). Foreign births, however, are slightly increasing. Furthermore, a new all-time low has been recorded, with a decrease of 190 compared to 2023 (-2.6%, the same as the national average).
The continuing decline in the number of births is driven by a variety of factors. Among these are the fertility rate, which remains stable compared to 2023: 0.91 children per woman, significantly below the national level (1.18 children per woman) and also the lowest in the country; the decline in the female population of reproductive age (15-49 years); and the postponement of motherhood. Indeed, the average age at childbirth is steadily rising and in Sardinia is higher than the national average (33.2 years versus 32.6 years).
Mortality decreased in 2024 (-247 deaths compared to the previous year). The mortality rate decreased from 11.9 to 11.8 per thousand. The largest decrease was recorded in the provinces of Southern Sardinia and Cagliari. The average age increased from 48.8 to 49.2 years compared to 2023. Sassari and Cagliari are the youngest provinces (48.5 and 48.8 years, respectively), while Oristano and Southern Sardinia are the oldest (50.6 and 50.3 years). The foreign component is a factor in the population's rejuvenation. A comparison of age pyramids reveals that in 2024, the Sardinian population's age structure is older than the country's total. In Sardinia, the number of people over 85 is growing, reaching 65,742 individuals, almost 3,000 in one year, and representing 4.2% of the total population.
In the smallest municipalities, the aging process is more pronounced, with a median age of 52.0 years and an aging index of 395.8. In fact, 84.4% of Sardinia's 377 municipalities have a population of up to 5,000 inhabitants, where nearly a third of the island's population (31.7%) resides. 17.5% of the inhabitants live in the ten municipalities with between 20,001 and 50,000 inhabitants, and 17.1% in the two municipalities (Cagliari and Sassari) with over 100,000 inhabitants. Overall, approximately a quarter of the population resides in one of the four municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants.
The smallest municipality is Baradili, in the province of Oristano, with 76 inhabitants. The largest population increase was recorded in Trinità d'Agultu e Vignola (+6.8%) in northern Sardinia, in the province of Sassari. The largest decrease was recorded in Boroneddu (-8.3%), in the province of Oristano, which also recorded the highest median age (58.2 years). The youngest municipality is Girasole (44.3 years) in the province of Nuoro.
Even for the foreign component, the highest concentrations are observed in the two largest provinces with values of 41.5% for Sassari and 30.3% for Cagliari, respectively.
(Unioneonline)