Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Jacob Blaustein Institutes for ...

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2.6 Main Economics (Agriculture, Industry, Population)
On the basis of the last census ISTAT (2006) the total amount of resident citizen in
Sicily (390 municipalities) is 4,968,991 (0,3% increase 2000-2001). The provinces of
Syracuse and Ragusa have respectively 400,764 and 311,760 inhabitants.
Regional economic indicators are lower than the national average (ISTAT, 2006). The
main aspects of the Sicilian economy can be summarized as follow:
• The regional GDP is in line with the average of the southern Italian
regions, but is below the Italian average;
• The regional demand of products and services is mainly oriented on
commodity and goods for mass consumption;
• The investment rate is lower than the national average;
• The production of services is mainly based on public services not for sale
3(public offices);
• Export represent 6% of GDP
According to official statistic published by the Osservatorio Economico Ministero per il
Commercio Internazionale (2008) In the year 2007 the Sicilian import/export balance
was as follow:
Table 1 - Sicilian Import / Export balance in the 2007 (after OEMCI, 2008)
Export Million Euro Percentage Import Million Euro Percentage
Refined Oil 4.592 66.2 Crude Oil 9.978 74.7
Basic chemical
products
455 6.6 Refined oil 1.301 9.7
Pipes 270 3.9 Metals 234 1.7
Agriculture 219 3.2 Basic chemical
products
219 1.6
According to the European Statistic on Income and Leaving Conditions EU-SILC, in
2005, the mean total-income (after tax) per family in Sicily was 20.952 Euro per year
which is about 1750 Euro per month per family. Nevertheless it must be noted that,
50% of the families are below the level of 16.658 Euro/year (1400 Euro/month), and the
Gini coefficient 6 of inequality is equal to 0.346, which is far above the average national
level.
6 The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of
inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth distribution. It is defined as a ratio with values
between 0 and 1: A low Gini coefficient indicates more equal income or wealth distribution, while a high
Gini coefficient indicates more unequal distribution. 0 corresponds to perfect equality (everyone having
exactly the same income) and 1 corresponds to perfect inequality (where one person has all the income,
while everyone else has zero income). Worldwide, Gini coefficients range from approximately 0.232 in
Denmark to 0.707 in Namibia.