In Italy, one out of every six individuals lives in a small municipality. About 16.4% of the national population, or 9.6 million citizens, are residing in 5,521 municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. More than half of the roughly 10 million residents live in towns with fewer than 3,000 people, while over a million live in towns with fewer than 1,000. As many as 867 small municipalities, equal to 15.7%, are classified with maximum or very high levels of fragility. These municipalities are home to more than 1.4 million people, with a high concentration in the south and some parts of central Italy. The average area at risk of landslides is 10.3%, which is more than twice as much as larger communities. The budgets of small municipalities show financial solidity and administrative responsibility: 94% are balanced and the available surplus reaches €1.8 billion.