Health in Palermo (Sicily, Italy): official figures
Life expectancy at birth in Palermo was 82.4 years in 2024 (80.7 for men and 84.2 for women), below the national figure of 83.4 years and 13th lowest among Italy's 107 provinces.
How many avoidable deaths are there in Palermo?
In 2022, 18.2 in every 10,000 residents of Palermo under 75 died from causes that prevention or timely treatment could have avoided (above the national figure of 17.6), 44th highest in Italy.
Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copyWhat is the infant mortality rate in Palermo?
The infant mortality rate in Palermo was 2.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, below the national figure of 2.5.
Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copyHow many patients from Palermo go to hospital in another region?
5.3% of hospital discharges of Palermo residents in 2023 were from hospitals in another region, below the national figure of 8.6% and 21st lowest in Italy.
Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copyHow many doctors are there in Palermo?
Palermo had 41.6 specialist doctors per 10,000 residents in 2023, above the national figure of 34.1 and 16th highest among provinces.
Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copyMore figures
- Life expectancy in Palermo rose by 0.7 years between 2014 and 2024, from 81.7 to 82.4; the lowest point since 2019 was 81.3 years in 2021. Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- Cancer mortality among adults aged 20 to 64 in Palermo was 7.4 per 10,000 in 2022, below the national figure of 7.6 (52nd lowest of 107 provinces). Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- Deaths from dementia and diseases of the nervous system among people aged 65 and over in Palermo ran at 31.8 per 10,000 in 2022, below the national figure of 35.3. Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- Road accidents killed young people aged 15 to 34 in Palermo at a rate of 0.5 per 10,000 in 2023 (below the national figure of 0.6). Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- Hospitals in Palermo had 33.8 beds per 10,000 residents in 2022, above the national figure of 33.3. Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- Palermo had 3.9 high-intensity care hospital beds (intensive care and similar specialities) per 10,000 residents in 2022. Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
How Palermo compares with other provinces in Italy
Life expectancy at birth (years) (2024)
Palermo ranks 95 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Life expectancy at birth (years) |
|---|---|---|
| 92 | Vercelli | 82.5 |
| 93 | Catania | 82.4 |
| 94 | Crotone | 82.4 |
| 95 | Palermo | 82.4 |
| 96 | Reggio Calabria | 82.4 |
| 97 | Trapani | 82.4 |
| 98 | Viterbo | 82.4 |
Avoidable mortality, ages 0-74 (per 10,000, standardised) (2022)
Palermo ranks 44 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Avoidable mortality, ages 0-74 (per 10,000, standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Belluno | 18.2 |
| 42 | Brindisi | 18.2 |
| 43 | Massa-Carrara | 18.2 |
| 44 | Palermo | 18.2 |
| 45 | Taranto | 18.0 |
| 46 | Verbano-Cusio-Ossola | 18.0 |
| 47 | Matera | 17.9 |
Hospital stays in another region (% of discharges) (2023)
Palermo ranks 87 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Hospital stays in another region (% of discharges) |
|---|---|---|
| 84 | Prato | 5.6% |
| 85 | Modena | 5.5% |
| 86 | Catania | 5.4% |
| 87 | Palermo | 5.3% |
| 88 | Pistoia | 5.3% |
| 89 | Roma | 5.3% |
| 90 | Rimini | 5.2% |
Specialist doctors per 10,000 residents (2023)
Palermo ranks 16 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Specialist doctors per 10,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Milano | 44.3 |
| 14 | Pavia | 43.8 |
| 15 | Catania | 41.9 |
| 16 | Palermo | 41.6 |
| 17 | Sassari | 41.1 |
| 18 | Padova | 40.4 |
| 19 | Parma | 40.1 |
More on Palermo: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Sicily · Italy
Sources
- 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…)
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