The province has over 1 million inhabitants, extending over an area of 2,746 sq km (accounting for 11% of the region), and has a density of 400 inhabitants per sq km. There are just under 450,000 households living in the province. There are 243 municipalities in the area (133 in upland areas). The capital city, Bergamo, has over 119,000 inhabitants. However, 300,000 people reside in the greater urban area around Bergamo.
Bergamo province has experienced a sustained demographic expansion through net immigration.
The province’s economic stability comes from its long entrepreneurial tradition and the deeply-rooted culture of hard work shared by all its inhabitants. There are over 90,000 companies distributed across the Bergamo area, which is more than 8 for every 100 inhabitants. This figure is line with the Italian average. The province of Bergamo is strongly characterised by the presence of handicraft business: in fact, handicrafts represent about 35% of the province’s businesses.
Employment levels in Bergamo province are above the national average, although a wide disparity between men and women persists. The service sector is the main employer, but many people also work in industry and construction.