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Ragusa: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Ragusa, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ragusa

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Corso Vittorio Veneto 1, Ragusa.

Ragusa, a growing Sicilian capital

Of all Sicily's provincial capitals, Ragusa has grown the most. It had 73,736 residents in 2023, compared with 69,794 at the 2011 census, an increase of 5.6%. The province is a small one, with just 12 municipalities, and Ragusa is the largest, home to 23.1% of its people. Foreign nationals make up 8.9% of residents, the highest share among Sicily's provincial capitals.

The city lies on the Hyblaean plateau (Monti Iblei) and is split between the upper town and Ragusa Ibla, the oldest quarter, rebuilt in Baroque style after the 1693 earthquake and included in the Val di Noto UNESCO World Heritage Site. The municipality stretches down to the coast at Marina di Ragusa. Farming, livestock and food processing play a large part in the local economy, alongside tourism.

The 1693 earthquake still matters here. Ragusa is in seismic zone 1, the highest class, together with 4 other municipalities in the province, while 7 are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.198 g. Anyone looking at a property, especially in the old stone and masonry buildings of the historic centre, would do well to ask for documents on the structure and on any work carried out.

The estimated average age is 45.6, higher than in the rest of the province (44.0), and 23.7% of residents are over 65 against 21.5% provincially. Households average 2.24 people. Overture's open map data list 450 cafés and restaurants, 52 healthcare sites, 68 education sites and 36 supermarkets.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps (Agenzia delle Entrate) cover Ragusa, so the report traces the land parcel from the address. Between plateau, deep valleys and coastline, landslide and flood risk varies considerably from one spot to the next and needs checking address by address.

Key points

  • Population up 5.6% since 2011: 73,736 residents.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected ground acceleration about 0.198 g.
  • Baroque old town of Ibla within a UNESCO site.
  • Foreign nationals at 8.9% of residents.

Overview

Ragusa is the capital of the province of Ragusa, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 73,736 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 23% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ragusa is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 5 of 12 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.198 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ragusa, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 5.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, higher than the province average (44). 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 8.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ragusa declared an average taxable income of 21,079 euros, above the provincial average (17,930 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ragusa is in climate zone C, with 1,324 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 520 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ragusa has 68 schools and 24 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 36 grocery shops and supermarkets, 52 healthcare facilities, 55 sports facilities and 10 parks and green areas.

There are 0.7 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 8.6% of the land in Ragusa, compared with 10.6% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 27.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Ragusa; 10 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ragusa: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.

House prices

The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.

Land registry

The cadastral maps for Ragusa are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.

Liveability area by area

The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 1,732 inhabited census areas in Ragusa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.5%
  • fair 99.5%

Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.

The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out

Data sources

ISTAT code 088009. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.