# Italy records 369,944 births in 2024, lowest since unification in 1861, as TFR falls to 1.18 for the 16th consecutive record year > Italy's national statistics institute ISTAT confirmed 369,944 babies born in Italy in 2024, a 2.6% decline from 2023 and the lowest annual birth total since Italian unification in 1861; the total fertility rate fell to a record-low 1.18 children per woman, 281,000 more deaths than births shrank the population by 37,000 to 58.93 million, and preliminary January-July 2025 data show a further 6.3% decline in newborns **Meta:** type: event · date: 2025-03-31 · heads: 장기전, 누구의 돈인가 · 6 takes · 5 lenses · 4 regions ## Summary Italy's national statistics institute ISTAT confirmed that 369,944 babies were born in 2024, a 2.6% decline from 2023 and the lowest annual birth total since Italian unification in 1861. The total fertility rate fell to 1.18 children per woman, a record low, down from 1.20 in 2023 and far below the 2.1 replacement rate. Italy recorded 281,000 more deaths than births in 2024, shrinking the population by 37,000 to 58.93 million. Since 2014, Italy's population has fallen by almost 1.9 million. As of January 1, 2025, the average age was 46.8 years, with those aged 65 and over making up 24.7% of the total population. Preliminary data for January-July 2025 show a further 6.3% decline in newborns, suggesting 2025 will set yet another record. This is the 16th consecutive year of birth record lows despite successive Italian governments, including Prime Minister Meloni's, pledging to make the birth rate a national priority. ## The split Italian government and conservative media framed the crisis as a cultural failure requiring pro-family fiscal incentives, state childcare expansion, and measures to reduce the cost of raising children. They also pointed to emigration of young Italians as a compounding factor and called for policies to attract Italian-origin diaspora back to the country. Italian economists and demographers argued that the fiscal transfers being contemplated, including 'baby bonuses', are too small to change reproductive decisions in a country where childcare costs, housing prices, and youth precarious employment are the dominant structural barriers to family formation. Immigration advocates noted that immigrant-origin women in Italy have higher fertility rates than Italy-born women and that managed immigration remains the most reliable short-term buffer for population and workforce decline. ## By the numbers - 369,944: births in Italy in 2024 (lowest since unification in 1861) - 2.6%: decline from 379,890 births in 2023 - 1.18: total fertility rate in 2024 (record low; replacement rate is 2.1) - 281,000: excess deaths over births in 2024 - 37,000: population decline in 2024 (to 58.93 million) - 1.9 million: population lost since 2014 - 46.8 years: average age in Italy as of January 1, 2025 - 24.7%: share of population aged 65+ as of January 1, 2025 - 6.3%: decline in newborns January-July 2025 versus same period 2024 ## Why it matters Italy's [Italy Demography](/ko/entity/country/italy-demography) trajectory is one of the most extreme in the OECD and has concrete immediate effects on the Italian economy: its public pension system faces growing actuarial deficits as the ratio of contributors to beneficiaries narrows, its healthcare system is managing an ageing patient cohort with a workforce that is also ageing and shrinking, and rural and southern communities are entering depopulation spirals that are difficult to reverse once they begin. Italy also has the largest public debt in the eurozone in absolute terms and the second-largest relative to GDP; the demographic contraction directly constrains its fiscal capacity to service that debt. ## What to watch - ISTAT's full 2025 vital statistics release for the final birth and fertility numbers - Whether the Meloni government's 2026 demographic package includes structurally significant childcare funding or remains at the level of symbolic bonus payments - Whether Italy's immigration inflows from North Africa, South Asia, and Eastern Europe are revised upward to partially offset natural population decline - The 2026 EU cohesion funding discussions and how Italy's demographic data affects allocation formulas ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Italy's official statistics body; primary record of annual vital statistics and demographic indicators - **ISTAT (Italian National Statistics Institute)** (Italy, en) — ISTAT's 2024 vital statistics confirmed 369,944 births, a 2.6% decrease from 379,890 in 2023. The total fertility rate fell to a record low of 1.18 children per woman, down from 1.20 in 2023. There were 281,000 more deaths than births, and the population shrank by 37,000 to 58.93 million. Italy's average age rose to 46.8 years as of January 1, 2025, with individuals aged 65 and over accounting for 24.7% of the population. > "Italy's 2024 births: 369,944, a record low since 1861; TFR 1.18; 281,000 more deaths than births." Source: https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/italys-birth-rate-hits-new-record-low.html ### US international news service; covered the ISTAT release with policy context on the Meloni government's response - **US News / Wanted in Rome** (United States, en) — US News reported that Italy's demographic crisis worsened as births hit a record low despite successive government pledges to make the birth rate a priority. Prime Minister Meloni and her predecessors had repeatedly committed to reversing the trend, but births have fallen for the 16th consecutive year, and the gap between the fertility rate (1.18) and the replacement rate (2.1) continues to widen. > "Italy's births hit record low in 2024 for the 16th consecutive year despite Meloni government pledges to reverse the trend." Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-03-31/italys-demographic-crisis-worsens-as-births-hit-record-low ### European broadcaster; deeper analysis of regional disparities, immigration's role in moderating the decline, and the southern Italy dimension - **Euronews** (Europe, en) — Euronews analysed Italy's demographic trajectory, noting that the birth rate crisis is worse in the southern regions where emigration of young people compounds the decline in births. Immigration from abroad has provided a modest buffer, but not enough to offset natural population decline. The piece reviewed Italian government proposals including a 'baby bonus' and childcare expansion that economists said were structurally inadequate to change reproductive decisions. > "Italy's falling birth rate is a crisis that's only getting worse; regional disparities and youth emigration deepen the southern Italy dimension." Source: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/05/10/italys-falling-birth-rate-is-a-crisis-thats-only-getting-worse ### Italian-focused global diaspora media; reported preliminary 2025 data showing continuing decline in the first seven months - **Italianismo** (Italy, en) — Italianismo reported preliminary data showing Italy recorded 13,000 fewer newborns in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, a 6.3% decline. The provisional fertility rate for January-July 2025 suggested a further drop from 1.18 to around 1.13, reinforcing the view that 2025 would set yet another record low. > "Preliminary 2025 data: Italy recorded 13,000 fewer newborns in January-July 2025 than in the same period of 2024, a 6.3% decline." Source: https://italianismo.com.br/en/queda-nascimentos-na-italia-13-mil-a-menos-so-ate-julho-de-2025/ ### unlabelled - **Global Banking & Finance Review** (International, en) — Source: https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/ITALY-POPULATION-ad7c415a-69b3-4850-9a0a-67c70a2f55d1/ - **ELFAC (European Large Families Confederation)** (Europe, en) — Source: https://www.elfac.org/italys-demographic-crisis-worsens-as-births-hit-record-low/ ## Across the graph - Entities: Country:italy Demography --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ko/n/italy-demography-2025