Last year saw the lowest modern birthrate on record in Italy. Signs show 2022 will likely follow suit.
Italy’s National Statistics Institute (ISTAT) reported on Monday that the country had recorded 400,249 births last year. This was a decrease of 4,643 from a year earlier.
The Italy birthrate has been declining over recent years. The first year with fewer than 500,000 live births recorded was 2015. The indicator shows it is likely to dip below 400,000.
Italy’s birth rate has been declining for years: 2015 was the first year with fewer than 500,000 live births, and now the indicator is on pace to dip below 400,000.
Birth rate dropping since 2008
According to ISTAT, provisional data for the first nine months of this year recorded around 6,000 fewer live births than the same period in 2021. In 2008, the earliest year for which ISTAT has provided data, Italy recorded 576,659 live births.
Ever since then, the Italy birthrate has dropped every year. However, the average number of children per female resident rose very slightly in 2021 to 1.25. This is compared to 1.24 the previous year.
It was the first time in the last 15 years this key indicator has risen. However, it is still low by historical standards. Over the period between 2008 and 2010, the same figure averaged 1.44 births per woman.
