- Foreign Population Trend
- Continuous growth from 5,600 in 2000 to 42,000 in 2024
Good to know
Good to Know
- Venice municipality proper has declining population, especially in historic islands (from ~174,800 in 1951 to ~48,000 in 2025), with residents relocating to mainland Mestre due to high rents and tourism pressures.
- Foreign-born population concentrated in mainland Mestre neighborhoods (e.g., Via Piave) rather than historic island center, reflecting affordability and housing availability patterns.
- Bangladeshi community is most civically engaged and fastest-growing; a third of new Italian citizenship acquisitions in 2024 came from Bangladesh.
- Chinese immigrant community (earlier arrivals, concentrated in commerce) maintains cultural separation partly due to China's no-dual-citizenship policy.
- Tech/startup ecosystem is specialized: focuses on solving Venice's unique challenges (water management, sustainable tourism, heritage preservation) rather than following generic tech trends.
- Foreign resident income averages ~€16,850/year (about €8,500 below Italian average), reflecting concentration in service, trade, and labor-intensive roles.
- Aging population and low fertility create labor-market dependency on foreign-born workers, particularly in hospitality, healthcare, and service sectors.
Total Population
248850
Demographic Notes
- Minors
- 14.7% of population
- Gender Split
- 47.8% male, 52.2% female
- Age Distribution
- Aging population with average age 48.6 (above Italian average of 45.9); elderly (65+) comprise 27.9% vs. Italian average of 23.5%
- Depopulation Trend
- Historic center lost ~70% of residents since 1952; overall municipality declining 2.7% (2016-2021)
Foreign Born Count
42000
Notable Nationalities
Bangladeshi
- Percentage
- 3.1
- Count
- 7814
- Notes
- Largest and most civically engaged foreign community
Romanian
- Percentage
- 2.5
- Count
- 6258
- Notes
- Second largest in municipality; majority (23%) in broader province
Moldovan
- Percentage
- 1.6
- Count
- 4054
Chinese
- Percentage
- Present but smaller
- Notes
- One of earliest immigrant communities; historically concentrated in Mestre; culturally maintains Chinese heritage; dual citizenship restriction limits naturalization
Foreign Born Percentage
16
Population Distribution
- Historic Center
- 47625
- Mainland Terraferma
- 177621
- Other Islands Lagoon
- 26795
- Note
- As of 2025, with historic city representing ~19% of total
Foreign Population Trend
Continuous growth from 5,600 in 2000 to 42,000 in 2024
Tech And Business Ecosystem
- Number Of Startups
- 38
- Funding Landscape
- Limited traditional venture capital; focus on angel investors, regional funds (Veneto Sviluppo), and SME-oriented support
- Startup Ranking Italy
- 9
- Total Startup Funding
- €1,969,000
Over $2.18M in ecosystem value as of 2025
- Startup Ranking Global
- 526
Focus Areas
- Sustainable tourism and cultural preservation
- Digital humanities and marine technologies
- Water management and climate resilience (blue economy)
- Travel technology and visitor experience
- Biotechnology and biopolymers
Key Innovation Hubs
- VEGA Science and Technology Park (mainland, Marghera)
- Arsenale (historic shipyard, maritime innovation)
- University-adjacent research on Giudecca island
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Venice
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.