demographics
Italy: Fewer births than ever before
A baby clings to its mother’s finger. Fewer and fewer babies are being born in Italy. photo
© Fabian Strauch/dpa
Italy’s population is shrinking. Seven births faced twelve deaths in 2022.
Fewer and fewer children are being born in Italy. In the Mediterranean country, fewer births were recorded in 2022 than ever since Italy was unified in the 19th century, as the Italian statistical authority Istat announced on Friday. The birth rate last year was less than seven births per 1000 inhabitants, but the mortality rate was more than twelve deaths per 1000 inhabitants. Around 393,000 children were born last year. The population of Italy continues to shrink.
The population of the country, which is facing a sharp demographic decline, is getting older. The number of people who are at least centenarians in Italy has reached a new high: according to Istat data, around 22,000 people are over 100 years old. That is about 2000 more than in 2021. Their number has tripled within 20 years. According to the figures, a good 58.85 million people lived in Italy at the end of 2022.