Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1861 | 2,759,000 | — |
| 1871 | 2,928,000 | +6.1% |
| 1881 | 3,090,000 | +5.5% |
| 1901 | 3,319,000 | +7.4% |
| 1911 | 3,414,000 | +2.9% |
| 1921 | 3,439,000 | +0.7% |
| 1931 | 3,458,000 | +0.6% |
| 1936 | 3,418,000 | −1.2% |
| 1951 | 3,518,000 | +2.9% |
| 1961 | 3,914,000 | +11.3% |
| 1971 | 4,432,000 | +13.2% |
| 1981 | 4,479,000 | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 4,303,000 | −3.9% |
| 2001 | 4,215,000 | −2.0% |
| 2010 (Est.) | 4,456,000 | +5.7% |
| Source: ISTAT 2001 | ||
The population density in Piemonte is lower than the national average. In 2008 it was equal to 174 inhabitants per km2, compared to a national figure of about 200. It rises however to 335 inhabitants per km2 when just the province of Turin is considered, whereas Verbano-Cusio-Ossola is the less densely populated province (72 inhabitants per km2). The population of Piedmont followed a downward trend throughout the 1980s. This drop is the result of the natural negative balance (of some 3 to 4% per year), while the migratory balance since 1986 has again become positive because of an excess of new immigration over a stable figure for emigration. The population as a whole has remained stable in the 1990s, although this is the result of a negative natural balance and a positive net migration.
The Turin metro area grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s due to an increase of immigrants from Southern Italy, and today it has a population of approximately two million. As of 2008, the Italian national institute of statistics (ISTAT) estimated that 310,543 foreign-born immigrants live in Piedmont, equal to 7.0% of the total regional population.
Read more about this topic: Piedmont