The number of births in Italy fell again last year, with the fertility rate dropping to a record low of 1.18 children per woman, the national statistics agency said Tuesday.
The trend looks to continue, even worsen, this year.
Provisional data for the January-July period showed 197,956 births, down 6.3 percent on the same period in 2024, when the figure as 211,000.
Italy has long had a sluggish birth rate and an ageing population.
Istat figures published earlier this year showed the average age as of January 1, 2025, was 46.8 years, up from 46.6 a year earlier.
Individuals aged over 65 now make up 24.7 percent of the population, compared to 24.3 percent a year earlier, while those aged over 85 account for 4.1 percent.
Italy’s changing demographics are regularly cited as a concern for Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.
