Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1861 | 3,160,000 | — |
| 1871 | 3,529,000 | +11.7% |
| 1881 | 3,730,000 | +5.7% |
| 1901 | 4,314,000 | +15.7% |
| 1911 | 4,889,000 | +13.3% |
| 1921 | 5,186,000 | +6.1% |
| 1931 | 5,596,000 | +7.9% |
| 1936 | 5,836,000 | +4.3% |
| 1951 | 6,566,000 | +12.5% |
| 1961 | 7,406,000 | +12.8% |
| 1971 | 8,543,000 | +15.4% |
| 1981 | 8,892,000 | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 8,856,000 | −0.4% |
| 2001 | 9,033,000 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 9,939,000 | +10.0% |
| Source: ISTAT 2001 | ||
One sixth of the Italian population or about 10 million people live in Lombardy (16.2% of the national population; 2% of the European Union population), making it the second most densely populated region in Italy after Campania with a strong concentration in the Milan metropolitan area and the Alpine foothills areas of the provinces of Varese, Como, Lecco, Monza and Brianza and Bergamo, (1,200 inh./km2), a lower average density (250 inh./km2) in the Po valley and the lower Brescia valleys, and much lower densities (less than 60 inh./km2) in the northern mountain areas and the southern Oltrepò Pavese subregion.
The growth of the regional population was particularly sustained during the 1950s–60s, thanks to a prolonged economic boom, high birth rates, and strong immigration flows (especially from Southern Italy). During the last two decades, Lombardy became the destination of a large number of international immigrants, insomuch that today more than a quarter of all foreign immigrants in Italy lives in this region. As of 2008, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 815,335 foreign-born immigrants live in Lombardy, equal to 8.4% of the total regional population.
The primary religion is Catholicism; significative religious minorities include Christian Waldenses, Protestants and Orthodox, as well as Jews, Sikh and Muslims.
Read more about this topic: Lombardy