Lecce: population, economy and official figures

Lecce is a province in Apulia, Italy. Lecce had 764,491 residents on 1 January 2025, 19.7% of Apulia and 1.30% of Italy; 22nd largest of 107 provinces in Italy.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Lecce: GDP per person was 22,700 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 59% of the EU average (98% for Italy); 95th highest of 107 provinces in Italy.
• Health in Lecce: Life expectancy at birth in Lecce was 83.2 years in 2024 (81.2 for men and 85.4 for women), below the national figure of 83.4 years and 43rd lowest among Italy's 107 provinces.
• Education in Lecce: 58.5% of adults aged 25 to 64 in Lecce had at least an upper secondary diploma in 2024, up from 51.7% in 2018; the national figure was 66.7%.
• Poverty and living standards in Lecce: Police recorded 241 reported home burglaries per 100,000 residents in Lecce in 2023, 53rd highest rate among provinces (it was 328 in 2018); the national rate was 250.
• Government budget and revenue in Lecce: Taxpayers in Lecce owed 1.6 billion euros in net personal income tax (IRPEF) for 2024, an average of €3,058 per taxpayer, 15th lowest of the 107 provinces (national average €4,608).
• Government and politics in Lecce: Turnout in Lecce at the 2024 European Parliament election was 46.3%, below the national figure of 49.8% and 36th lowest of the 107 provinces.

Figures come from Italy's own official statistics and from Eurostat's regional statistics for NUTS 3 areas. Comparisons with the EU average use purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust for price differences.

Other provinces in Apulia

• Bari 1,219,545
• Foggia 590,263
• Taranto 550,436
• Barletta-Andria-Trani 377,093
• Brindisi 375,567

Up a level: Apulia · all regions of Italy · how local power works in Italy

Sources

• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjangrp3: Population on 1 January (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c748d3cba3a…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_d3dens: Population density, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f4b59fe9d121…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Median age of the population (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7bf6ade55a0d…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Share of people aged 65 or over (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 17aa0d08ab9c…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_fagec3: Live births (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cfda9b5f4ebd…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset reg_area3: Area, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75302b0aafe9…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
• Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica): BES dei territori, edizione 2025: well-being indicators for the 107 provinces and metropolitan cities (Indicatori_per_provincia_sesso_ed.2025.xlsx), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 90f90043ad3d…)
• 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 nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_gind3: Population change: demographic balance and crude rates by NUTS 3 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7548e948e15c…)
• Ministero dell'Interno, Dipartimento per gli Affari Interni e Territoriali: Amministratori provinciali in carica, elenco completo Italia (aggiornato al 24/08/2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2c36e7dec8a9…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.