Due to the size of the possible eruption, in the danger zone lives about 600 thousand people and 3 million may be affected by a potential disaster.

The crater of Vesuvius on the cone of Gran Cono is only 15 kilometers from the center of Naples. In Naples alone lives nearly 960 thousand people, and nearby there are also: Salerno (140 thousand inhabitants), Avellino (57 thousand inhabitants), Aversa (56 thousand inhabitants) or Caserta (85 thousand inhabitants).