Demographics
Main article: Sardinian people Main article: List of Sardinians| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1861 | 609,000 | — |
| 1871 | 636,000 | +4.4% |
| 1881 | 680,000 | +6.9% |
| 1901 | 796,000 | +17.1% |
| 1911 | 868,000 | +9.0% |
| 1921 | 885,000 | +2.0% |
| 1931 | 984,000 | +11.2% |
| 1936 | 1,034,000 | +5.1% |
| 1951 | 1,276,000 | +23.4% |
| 1961 | 1,419,000 | +11.2% |
| 1971 | 1,474,000 | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 1,594,000 | +8.1% |
| 1991 | 1,648,000 | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 1,632,000 | −1.0% |
| 2011 | 1,675,000 | +2.6% |
| Source: ISTAT 2001 | ||
With a population density of 69/km2, slightly more than a third of the national average, Sardinia is the fourth least populated region in Italy. The population distribution is anomalous compared to that of other Italian regions lying on the sea. In fact, contrary to the general trend, urban settlement has not taken place primarily along the coast but towards the centre of the island. Historical reasons for this include repeated Saracen raids during the Middle Ages (making the coast unsafe), widespread pastoral activities inland, and the swampy nature of the coastal plains (reclaimed only in the 20th century). The situation has been reversed with the expansion of seaside tourism; today all Sardinia's major urban centres are located near the coasts, while the island's interior is very sparsely populated.
It is the Italian region with the lowest total fertility rate (1.087 births per woman), and the region with the second-lowest birth rate; these factors, together with the high level of urbanization of population, allow the preservation of the greater part of the natural environment. However, the population has increased in recent years due to immigration, mainly from Eastern Europe (esp. Romania), Africa and China.
At the end of 2010 there were 37,853 foreign national residents, forming 2,3% of the total Sardinian population. The most represented nationalities were :
- Romania 9,899
- Morocco 4,420
- China 2,872
- Senegal 2,787
- Ukraine 1,952
- Germany 1,479
- Philippines 1,368
- Poland 1,174
- France 756
- Pakistan 695
Average life expectancy is 81 years (85 for women and 78 for men). Sardinia shares with the Japanese island of Okinawa the highest rate of centenarians in the world (22 centenarians/100,000 inhabitants).
Read more about this topic: Sardinia