Illegal building: is the South really worse than the North?

Representation of illegal construction in coastal areas in Italy, image of a coast with buildings under construction a few meters from the beach
Written by Matteo Morreale
Article contents

Illegal building on the Italian coasts remains an emergency that shows no signs of abating, with Legambiente reporting in its reports Mare Monster of 2023 and 2024 counts over ten thousand cases every yearThe absolute numbers they pin the South to the top positions of the ranking: Campania and Puglia stand out, representing almost a third of the national total alone.

Yet, when you compare these crimes with the number of inhabitants living in coastal areas, the picture it changes radicallyPer capita rates they are lower in the South, where the coastal population is significantly larger and denser than in the North and Centre.

The method behind the calculations

To arrive at these proportions we start from the data on crimes related to illegal cement reported by Legambiente in its reports Mare Monster.
They then integrate with the Istat estimates on the Italian Statistical Yearbook 2024 and 2025, which provide population density and population in coastal areas.

The ratio is obtained by analyzing crimes per 100,000 residents, estimated by multiplying the density of coastal areas by the kilometers of regional coastline, with an average of 800 km per region.
The sources are taken directly from official Istat data and Legambiente websites.

The coastal population explains the North-South difference

The South concentrates between 60 and 70% of total crimes, but 10-12 million coastal residents live there out of an Italian total of around 17 million, compared to just under 5 million in the North and Centre.
In Campania the coastal density reaches 1.175 inhabitants per square kilometer, while in Veneto and Tuscany does not exceed 450-500.
Thus, despite the higher absolute figures for abuse, the per capita proportions are significantly lower in the South. Now including Sicily, Sardinia and Liguria, it emerges that Sicily remains at average rates thanks to approximately 4,8 million total residents and a density of 185 inhabitants/km², Sardinia rises with 580 crimes in 2023 out of 1,6 million inhabitants and a low density of 65 inhabitants/km², while Liguria records high pressure for its 48% urbanized coast (density ~1.000 inhabitants/km²).

What does it mean in a nutshell? If Venetians lived in Campania, the crime rates would triple.

2023 data proportional to inhabitants

RegionOffensesPopulation density/km²Coastal residents (estimate)Crimes per 100.000 inhabitants.
Liguria (North)3001.000800.00038
Veneto (North)705500700.000101
Tuscany (Central)794450800.00099
Lazio (Center)6171.0062,3 million27
Sardinia (Islands)580651,2 million48
Sicily (South)7221852 million36
Campania (South)1.5311.1754,6 million33
Puglia (South)1.4425501,5 million96
Calabria (South)1.0464001 million105

The trend will repeat itself in 2024

RegionOffensesPopulation density/km²Crimes per 100.000 inhabitants.
Liguria3201.00040
Veneto746500107
Toscana946450118
Sardinia4066534
Sicilia1.18018559
Campania1.8401.17540

Tuscany, Veneto and Calabria lead the per capita rates, while Sicily, Sardinia and Campania remain below the national average of 60.

The true implications of the phenomenon

Let's be clear, these are per capita numbers which obviously they do not exonerate the South from historical responsibility, where 40% of new constructions are illegal compared to 5% in the North, according to now consolidated ISTAT data.
The greatest density explains the high absolute values, but it doesn't delete a structural problem rooted in past urbanization.

But these are numbers that should certainly make those who too readily talk about the South's fault think twice, as if illegal building and lawlessness were genetic traits exclusive to the southern areas.
The data speaks for itself: Italy is one and united, even in abuses.

It must be said that the Istat estimates on coastal areas have a margin of approximation and the crimes counted are only the annual findings, not the entire illegal stock.
Reports such as those from Ispra confirm a more intense anthropogenic pressure in the South and in Liguria, which it is certainly directly linked to the concentration of population on the coasts.

Sources:

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