WeMed 2025: Introduction and Main Findings
Francesca Abate, Giovanni Canitano, Francesco Di Filippo, Anna Pia Maria Mirto
The 2025 edition of WeMed. Society, Economy and Environment in the Mediterranean is situated within a historical phase in which the Mediterranean basin increasingly appears as a space shaped by profound demographic, economic, environmental and social transformations. The publication, the result of collaboration between CNR-ISMed and Istat, offers an integrated interpretation of the main phenomena characterising the four macro-regions of the area—Mediterranean European Union, Western Balkans, Middle East and North Africa—through a comparative framework based on harmonised indicators and international statistical sources. Compared to the previous edition, two new thematic areas have been introduced to explore climate change and the use of energy and renewable sources across Mediterranean countries.
Structured into twelve chapters covering demographic, economic, social, environmental and gender dimensions, the study opens with an analysis of population dynamics. In 2024, the region is estimated to host approximately 585.6 million inhabitants, of whom 37.8% reside in North Africa and 35.1% in Mediterranean EU countries. Since 2001, the total population has increased by 27.3%, albeit with divergent trajectories: strong growth in North Africa (+47.3%) and contraction in the Western Balkans (–14.6%). The most recent data thus reveal a region that is growing overall but marked by significant internal disparities. Sustained demographic expansion in North Africa and parts of the Middle East contrasts with stagnation or decline in several European and Western Balkan countries. Population ageing, differing shares of younger cohorts and migration patterns contribute to shaping a demographically asymmetrical Mediterranean, with important implications for the sustainability of welfare systems and labour markets.
Building on this foundation, the analysis of the labour market highlights persistent territorial and generational disparities. The Mediterranean emerges as a highly heterogeneous area: activity and employment levels are generally higher in EU countries, while North Africa and parts of the Middle East continue to exhibit low participation rates, particularly among young people. Youth unemployment represents one of the structural challenges of the entire region, assuming varying intensity across institutional and economic contexts. Data for 2024 show that in several North African and Middle Eastern countries youth unemployment exceeds 40% (e.g. Tunisia and Jordan), whereas Mediterranean EU countries record lower but still critical levels (e.g. Spain at 11.4% total unemployment and Greece at 10%). Territorial and generational divides therefore remain among the principal sources of structural fragility.
The section on other social issues broadens the analysis to include indicators of health, education and social vulnerability, highlighting critical issues such as food insecurity and the prevalence of chronic diseases, often linked to socio-economic conditions. The resulting picture shows how social fragilities intersect with political instability and environmental pressures, making it increasingly urgent to strengthen public policies aimed at inclusion and cohesion. In 2023, for instance, moderate or severe food insecurity affected 42.4% of the population in Lebanon and over 35% in Libya, compared to less than 10% in most EU countries. Socio-economic conditions thus have a direct impact on health outcomes and quality of life.
The economic dimension is explored through macroeconomics and public finance, examining GDP levels (the total GDP of the region reached approximately USD 11.1 trillion in 2024, with 72.5% concentrated in Mediterranean EU countries), growth dynamics and per capita income differentials. Once again, the Mediterranean is characterised by pronounced imbalances: EU countries account for the majority of total output, while North African and some Middle Eastern economies display at times higher growth rates, albeit on more fragile and less diversified productive bases.
With regard to international relations, the analysis highlights the high degree of trade openness across the region, albeit with significant differences between large economies and smaller or more specialised countries. In several countries, the trade-to-GDP ratio exceeds 100% (e.g. Malta and Cyprus), whereas larger economies such as France, Italy and Spain range between 50% and 70%. Integration into global markets is therefore a defining feature, albeit uneven in intensity, representing both an opportunity and a source of vulnerability, particularly in the presence of geopolitical shocks and disruptions to value chains.
The section on other economic issues focuses on structural aspects such as ICT trade and financial resources, providing insights into innovation capacity and the modernisation of productive systems. Data indicate that 23 out of 26 countries are predominantly net importers of ICT products, signalling widespread technological dependence. This reliance highlights the need to strengthen investments in human capital, research and digital infrastructure.
Environmental sustainability constitutes the core of the section on environment, climate and territory, which examines protected areas, urbanisation and climate pressures. The Mediterranean, both a biodiversity hotspot and a region highly vulnerable to climate change, shows uneven progress in natural resource protection, with a clear divide between the northern and south-eastern shores. In 2024, for example, France protects nearly 49.8% of its territorial waters, whereas in several North African and Middle Eastern countries marine protected areas remain below 1%. At the same time, urbanisation exceeds 80% in many European economies, confirming a widespread trend towards urban concentration.
The theme of natural resources continues in the section on agriculture, which highlights the heterogeneity of Mediterranean agricultural systems and the centrality of the transition towards more sustainable models. North Africa accounts for over 40% of the total agricultural area of the Mediterranean region, although with widely varying shares relative to national territories. Differences in agricultural land use, irrigation and farming practices reflect diverse climatic conditions, production structures and policy priorities.
The interdependence between development and sustainability is particularly evident in the section on infrastructure and energy, which analyses logistics performance, maritime connectivity and the energy transition. Infrastructure plays a key role in competitiveness and regional integration, while the energy mix and the diffusion of renewables outline differentiated pathways towards decarbonisation. The analysis reveals a multi-speed Mediterranean: the logistics performance index places Spain, France and Italy close to values of 4 (on a scale from 1 to 5), whereas countries affected by instability score below 2.5. Connectivity and energy transition thus emerge as strategic levers for regional competitiveness.
The final three sections introduce a cross-cutting gender perspective. The section on population and gender highlights differences in demographic structure and life expectancy, showing how ageing and migration affect men and women differently. In Mediterranean EU countries, women account on average for 51.3% of the population, with a higher proportion of elderly women compared to men. The section on labour and gender examines disparities in participation and employment, emphasising how female exclusion from the labour market remains a structural issue in many parts of the Mediterranean. Gender gaps are particularly pronounced in the Middle East and North Africa, where female participation rates among those aged 15–64 may fall to around 15–20%. Finally, the section on other gender issues explores lifestyles, education and political participation, providing a nuanced picture of both progress and persistent inequalities. For instance, women's political representation has reached 44.3% of parliamentary seats in Spain, while in other areas significant underrepresentation persists.
Taken together, the twelve analyses portray a plural and complex Mediterranean, characterised by persistent imbalances but also by deep interdependencies. In a region hosting over half a billion people and significant economic and trade flows, demographic, economic, environmental and social inclusion dynamics are closely intertwined, generating patterns of convergence and divergence across its shores. Through a comparative approach and the integration of international statistical sources, this publication provides a solid knowledge base for public debate and evidence-based policymaking. In this perspective, the Mediterranean emerges not only as a space of critical challenges but also as a laboratory of transformations, where major contemporary transitions, demographic, environmental and socio-economic, require coordinated strategies, regional cooperation and a shared vision of the future.
To complement the analyses presented, the 2025 edition provides access to the WeMed Dashboard, an interactive tool that allows users to independently explore the full set of indicators collected for the project. Now in its second edition, the dashboard has been entirely redesigned on the basis of user feedback gathered through usability tests and questionnaires. The aim has been to transform data consultation into a smooth and immediate experience, accessible regardless of users' familiarity with statistical tools. The new interface, fully renewed in both visual design and user experience, enables users to freely build their own analyses by combining indicators and chart types, with visualisations that update at each interaction and make it possible to grasp relationships and patterns among variables at a glance. The information offering has been expanded with new indicators, and data are now downloadable both in open formats and as chart images—a new feature of this edition that facilitates reuse in presentations and publications. Four preconfigured analytical scenarios provide a guided starting point for uncovering relationships between seemingly distant phenomena, making the dashboard not merely a consultation tool but a genuine exploratory analysis environment serving researchers, policymakers, and citizens alike.