In 2024, Italy’s birth rate reached a new record low as the population continued to decline, according to the latest data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).
A total of 370,000 children were born in Italy in 2024, marking a 2.6% decrease compared to 2023 and a staggering 35.8% drop from 2008—the last year in which Italy recorded a rise in births.
Overall, Italy’s birth rate is now the lowest since the country’s unification in 1861.
The fertility rate, which measures the average number of children born per woman of childbearing age, fell to a historic low of 1.18—far below the 2.1 threshold needed for stable population growth.
According to ISTAT, Italy’s population stood at 58.93 million in 2024, down by 37,000 from the previous year. The country also recorded 281,000 more deaths than births last year. At the same time, the average life expectancy in Italy rose to 83.4 years—nearly five months longer than in 2023.
The decline in birth rates is seen as a serious issue.
The government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has launched a campaign to encourage at least 500,000 births per year by 2033 in an effort to prevent economic decline due to an aging population.
