Ferrara: population, economy and official figures
Ferrara is a province in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Ferrara had 339,612 residents on 1 January 2025, 7.6% of Emilia-Romagna and 0.58% of Italy; 62nd largest of 107 provinces in Italy.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Ferrara: GDP per person was 31,300 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 82% of the EU average (98% for Italy); 65th highest of 107 provinces in Italy.
- Health in Ferrara: Life expectancy at birth in Ferrara was 83.3 years in 2024 (81.2 for men and 85.5 for women), below the national figure of 83.4 years and 47th lowest among Italy's 107 provinces.
- Education in Ferrara: 65.9% of adults aged 25 to 64 in Ferrara had at least an upper secondary diploma in 2024, up from 66.7% in 2018; the national figure was 66.7%.
- Poverty and living standards in Ferrara: Police recorded 288 reported home burglaries per 100,000 residents in Ferrara in 2023, 41st highest rate among provinces (it was 334 in 2018); the national rate was 250.
- Government budget and revenue in Ferrara: Taxpayers in Ferrara owed 1.2 billion euros in net personal income tax (IRPEF) for 2024, an average of €4,333 per taxpayer, 48th highest of the 107 provinces (national average €4,608).
- Government and politics in Ferrara: Turnout in Ferrara at the 2024 European Parliament election was 59.9%, above the national figure of 49.8% and 14th highest of the 107 provinces.
Is the population of Ferrara growing?
That is 3.9% fewer people than in 2015 (353,293).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow densely populated is Ferrara?
There were 139.4 people per square kilometre in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the median age in Ferrara?
The median age was 52.5 years in 2025, against 49 for Italy; 6th highest of 107 provinces in Italy.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow old is the population of Ferrara?
29.1% of residents were 65 or older and 10.1% were under 15 in 2025.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many births and deaths are there in Ferrara?
In 2024 there were 1,723 live births and 4,749 deaths, a natural decrease of 3,026.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow big is Ferrara?
It covers 2,635 km².
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre people moving to Ferrara?
The net migration rate was +8.8 per 1,000 residents in 2024, while births minus deaths gave a natural change of -8.9 per 1,000.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyFigures 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 Emilia-Romagna
- Bologna 1,020,193
- Modena 708,340
- Reggio nell’Emilia 530,740
- Parma 455,713
- Forlì-Cesena 393,367
- Ravenna 387,205
- Rimini 340,376
- Piacenza 286,452
Up a level: Emilia-Romagna · 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.