Florence steady in quality-of-life survey as crime rate remains a weak point

Florence remains stable in Italy’s 2025 quality-of-life ranking, published by Il Sole 24 Ore, confirming its position at 36th among the country’s 107 provinces. While the city performs well in culture, services and employment, it ranks among Italy’s highest for crime reports — showing a mix of progress and persistent challenges.

According to the latest edition of the annual survey, Siena continues to lead Tuscany, placing 21st nationally despite losing six positions compared with 2024. Pisa follows at 29th after climbing five spots, while Prato ranks 38th. Florence, though unchanged overall, records contrasting trends across different sectors.

The Tuscan capital performs particularly well in the “Culture and Leisure” category, where it remains in Italy’s top ten thanks to its concentration of museums, cultural activities and public events. It also scores above average in “Business and Work” and “Environment and Services,” reflecting stable employment and good access to public facilities.

However, the city remains second in Italy for the number of reported crimes per 100,000 inhabitants — a figure up by 7.4% from last year. The increase mainly concerns thefts and property offences, areas in which Florence has long shown higher values compared with national averages. While the figures do not necessarily indicate greater insecurity, they highlight the city’s ongoing struggle with tourist-related petty crime and urban safety issues.

Among the other Tuscan provinces, Siena stands out as Italy’s top performer for women’s quality of life, supported by strong indicators in education, health and social participation. Livorno shows one of the region’s sharpest improvements, moving up 13 places to 49th, while Lucca gains ten positions to 58th. Arezzo (44th), Grosseto (59th) and Massa Carrara (64th) occupy mid-range spots, and Pistoia closes the regional ranking in 66th place.

The Il Sole 24 Ore quality-of-life index evaluates 90 indicators across six thematic groups: wealth and consumption; business and work; environment and services; demographics, society and health; justice and security; culture and leisure. This year’s results highlight growing differences between northern and southern Italy, with Bolzano, Milan and Trento leading the national chart.

For Florence, the 2025 results reflect continuity rather than decline. The city maintains its long-term balance between strong cultural capital and persistent issues in urban management and security. Local analysts note that, despite the rise in reported offences, Florence’s scores for education, employment and social services have remained solid, sustaining overall well-being indicators.

The Il Sole 24 Ore index has been published annually since 1990 and is among Italy’s best-known benchmarks of local well-being. Data come from official public sources, including ISTAT and ministries, and are grouped into 90 variables. Each province receives a composite score that allows comparison of living conditions across the country.

(cover photo by Jonathan Körner via Unsplash)

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