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Population density – Mirror of the topography

Population density (number of inhabitants per km², see map below) mirrors the effects that natural conditions and the location of favoured and disfavoured spaces exert on the settlement pattern. High concentrations are clearly visible in the large valleys, such as the Etsch, Inn, Isère, and Durance Valleys, and on the fringe areas of the Alps. In contrast are the low densities of the high Alpine parts. With approximately 20 inhabitants per km² (NUTS 3) the lowest density is found especially in the French regions (Drôme, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Haute-Alpes).
Except for Monaco, which belongs to the most densely populated cities of the world with its over 16,000 inhabitants/km², and the large Alpine cities with populations over 100,000, such as Grenoble, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Maribor, Trento, and Bolzano/Bozen, the highest densities are found in the northern Italian Provinces of Varese, Gorizia, Biella, and in the Canton of Luzerne and the Rhein Valley / Lake of Constance region. If one bases the calculation on the total geographical area, the Alpine population density lies at 71.5 inhabitants/km². If, on the other hand, the calculation is based only on the permanently inhabited or inhabitable area, which comprises 25% of the Alpine region, the population density climbs to 240 inhabitants/km².

Population density 2000 (539 KB)

Poles of growth and decline
As demonstrated by the relative population development between 1950 and 2000, two large demographical tendencies can be observed in the Alpine region (see map below). Parts of the population rose considerably in the Valleys, on the fringes of the Alps (above all Rhône-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in the southwest of France; Ticino, Switzerland; and Upper Bavaria, Germany), and in the central Alps (Vorarlberg and Tyrol). Approximately 800 (ca. 16%) municipalities experienced a growth of 100% and more. At the same time population declined throughout certain other parts, above all in the French and Italian Alps (Drôme, Rhône-Alpes, Italian provinces in the Piemonte and in Friuli-Venetia Giulia). In the German speaking areas of the Alps, population decreased in the Central Swiss Alps, Swiss Midlands, and in the Austrian regions of Steiermark, Burgenland, and Kärnten. Altogether, approximately 400 communities (ca. 8%) have lost 50% of their population.

A population rise has occurred during this half century, increasing from 10.4 to 13.6 million, a growth of 3.2 million or 32%. This demographic development has lead to massive international, as well as interregional displacements, as demonstrated by the French department Rhône-Alpes.

Development of population 1950-2000 (554 KB)