Palermo: population and official figures
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Palermo: 369,913 residents of the comune of Palermo filed an income tax (IRPEF) return for 2024, declaring an average total income of €24,846, 9th lowest among 42 major Italian cities (national average €25,816).
- Health in Palermo: The infant mortality rate was 1.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021.
- Government budget and revenue in Palermo: Palermo taxpayers owed 1.7 billion euros in net IRPEF income tax for 2024, an average of €4,467 per return, 10th lowest among 42 major Italian cities.
- Government and politics in Palermo: In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 71% of residents of Palermo agreed that there is corruption in their local public administration.
What is the population of Palermo?
Palermo had 632,499 inhabitants (city proper) on 1 January 2023, according to an official estimate (usual residents) reported to the United Nations.
Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copyHow does Palermo rank among cities in Italy?
Of the 42 cities the UN table lists for Italy (capitals and places of 100,000 or more), it is 5th largest.
Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copyHow many women and men live in Palermo?
Women and girls made up 52.2% of residents (330,228 female, 302,271 male).
Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copyWhat is the population of Palermo?
Palermo had 628,693 residents on 1 January 2025 according to the EU Urban Audit; 13.3% were under 15 and 23.5% were 65 or older.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyIs Palermo growing?
The population shrank by 4.3% between 2012 and 2025.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many students are there in Palermo?
45,165 students were enrolled in higher education in Palermo in 2021, 71 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Palermo have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Palermo in 2023, 23% had a degree-level education, 36% an upper secondary education and 41% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyCan people in Palermo afford their bills?
In the EU's 2023 quality of life survey, 11% of residents of Palermo said they had difficulty paying their bills at the end of the month most of the time.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 46% of people in Palermo were satisfied with schools and other educational facilities (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- 58% of people in Palermo agreed that it is easy to find good housing at a reasonable price (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- 51% of people in Palermo felt safe walking alone at night in the city (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
Who runs Palermo?
In Italy, cities and towns are run by provinces and metropolitan cities: Since Law 56/2014, chosen by and from local councillors; metropolitan mayor is the mayor of the main city. Secondary school buildings, provincial roads, environment; metropolitan cities plan their wider urban area.
How local power works in Italy
Cities of a similar size in Italy
- Milano 3,580,530
- Napoli 2,809,357
- Roma 2,755,309
- Torino 847,398
- Genova 561,191
- Bologna 389,200
- Firenze 362,742
- Bari 316,736
- Verona 256,049
Up a level: all cities in Italy · Italy · government and power
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ctour: Urban Audit: culture and tourism (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 235d13e6125c…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_cpop1: Urban Audit: population on 1 January by age groups and sex (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0ef23d60abc9…)
- Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze, Dipartimento delle Finanze: Redditi e principali variabili IRPEF su base comunale, anno d'imposta 2024 (personal income tax returns by municipality), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75cecc95d72b…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_cfermor: Urban Audit: fertility and mortality (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bd2b301d78c2…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_clma: Urban Audit: labour market (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 be050965f9c6…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_percep: Quality of life in European cities survey 2023: perception (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81bd3e277f3e…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ctran: Urban Audit: transport (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c4e74aa07496…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ceduc: Urban Audit: education (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 af187c7040a4…)
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