Average size of households in Italy 2021, by region

Households in Italy were larger in the South than in the North of the country. For instance, in the region of Campania the average size of households was of 2.53 people in 2021, while in Apulia households had about 2.39 members. Other two Southern regions followed in the chart, Sicily and Calabria, with an average size of around 2.3 individuals. On the contrary, the last positions of the ranking were occupied by Northern regions. However, in the last years, the average number of people per household decreased in Italy. Between 2010 and 2021, the mean size of households ranged from 2.41 to 2.29.

Structures of Italian families

Nationwide, 35 percent of the households consisted of families without a nucleus, such as people living alone, families consisting of e.g. two sisters, or a parent living with a child who is separated, widowed or divorced, etcetera. Furthermore, couples with children made up 31 percent of all households in Italy, representing the second most common household structure. While the average size of families experienced a decrease, one/single person households were on the rise. In 2022, there were 8.36 million single-person households in Italy, almost one million more than in 2012.

More babies in the South

  Considering the birth rate in the Italian regions could be useful to better understand the size of the households. In the South and on the Islands, the birth rate was higher than in any other macro-regions of Italy. In 2022, the Southern regions recorded a birth rate of 7.2 babies per every one thousand inhabitants. Similarly, on the Islands, there were 6.9 births per every thousand residents. However, on a national scale the births dropped constantly in the last years. In 2022, less than seven children were born per one thousand inhabitants, about two infants less than in 2002.