Foreign media- Number of births in Italy will hit record low in 2024

According to a report from Reuters, Italy is set to experience its lowest birth rate in history in 2024, marking the 16th consecutive year of declining birth numbers.

On October 21, the Italian National Institute of Statistics released a report indicating that in 2023, there were 379,890 recorded births, a decrease of 3.4% compared to 2022, which is the lowest figure ever documented. The report further suggests that this downward trend in birth rates will continue into 2024. Data from January to July of this year shows that births have decreased by 4,600 compared to the same period last year, representing a decline of 2.1%. The average number of children born per woman in Italy during these months stands at just 1.21, significantly below the replacement level required to maintain a stable population, which is 2.1.

Additionally, European ratings agency Scope Ratings has highlighted that, concerning economic growth potential between 2023 and 2040, Italy has the worst demographic structure in Europe. The working-age population in Italy is expected to decline by nearly 19% during this period, making it the country with the largest decline in Europe, outpacing Germany, Spain, and France.

The persistent drop in birth rates in Italy is viewed as a national emergency. Despite promises from successive governments to prioritize this issue, no administration has managed to reverse this troubling trend.