According to figures under discussion at Cernobbio at a conference to present a survey by the consultancy firm Ambrosetti The European House on old age within the European Union, of the ten cities within the EU with the highest percentage of citizens over 75 years old, seven are Italian. Trieste is first, with 13.2 per cent of its citizens over 75, Bologna second, with 13 per cent, followed by Florence at 12.3 per cent. The only non-Italian cities are Nice, fourth place, Lisbon, ninth, and Barcellona, tenth, while the other places are occupied by Genova, Ancona, Venice and Cremona.

Italy was the first country in the world in which the number of those over 60 surpassed that of 20 and under; this occurred in 1997.