Rome: Births in Italy are on track to hit a new record low in 2024, according to the national statistical bureau ISTAT, marking the 16th consecutive year of decline and the lowest birth rate since the country’s unification in 1861. Italy’s continuously falling birth rate is regarded as a national crisis, yet despite numerous government pledges to address the issue, no administration has been able to reverse the trend.
Between January and July 2024, Italy recorded 4,600 fewer births compared to the same period in 2023, representing a 2.1% decline, ISTAT said in a statement. For 2023 as a whole, the country saw 379,890 births, equating to around six newborns per 1,000 residents. This reflected a 3.4% decrease from 2022 and a significant 34.1% drop from 2008—the last year Italy witnessed an increase in births.
The fertility rate, which measures the average number of children born to each woman, stood at 1.2 for the first seven months of 2024. This is well below the 2.1 replacement level required to maintain a stable population.
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A recent report by Scope Ratings highlighted Italy’s demographic challenges, identifying the country as having the poorest economic growth potential in Europe between 2023 and 2040 due to its rapidly aging population. This poses a serious threat to Italy’s already strained public finances. Last year, Italy also recorded the lowest employment rate within the European Union, according to Eurostat.
ISTAT’s report also revealed that the average age at which women in Italy have their first child remained stable at 31 in 2023. Additionally, the proportion of babies born to unmarried women rose to 42.4% in 2023, up from 41.5% the previous year.
