Italy is increasingly younger: in 2024, 369,944 births were recorded, marking a decrease of 2.6% compared to the previous year, with almost 10 thousand fewer births. The birth rate fell to 6.3 per thousand residents, compared to 9.7 per thousand in 2008. Furthermore, since 2008, the year in which the maximum number of live births in the 2000s was recorded (over 576 thousand), the overall loss has been almost 207 thousand births (-35.8%).
These are the data that emerge from the latest Istat report, according to which fertility has reached an all-time low: in 2024 it stands at 1.18 children per woman, down compared to 2023 (1.20). And 2025? The provisional estimate for the first seven months highlights 1.13 as the average number of children per woman.
In short, the historic minimum: according to provisional data provided by Istat, from January to July this year there were less than 200 thousand births (197,956 to be precise), 13 thousand less than in the same period (-6.3%). The situation has therefore worsened compared to last year when 10 thousand newborns were lost in 12 months (minus 2.6%).
Where are fewer children born?
The decline in births is widespread throughout the national territory, but with variable intensity. Firstborns decreased by 2.7%, second children by 2.9% and subsequent children by 1.5%.
The decrease in first children concerns all areas of the country, with a smaller reduction in the Centre-North (-1.8% for the North, -2.0% for the Centre) and a more intense decline in the South (-4.3%).
The reduction in children after the first also affects the South to a greater extent: -4.3% compared to -1.7% in the Center and -1.4% in the North (-2.5% the Italian average).
Why are we having fewer and fewer children?
There is not a single reason, but a series of different factors. On the one hand there are the numbers: the younger generations are fewer due to the decrease in births starting from the mid-1970s, with fertility that went from over 2 children per woman to around 1.19 in 1995.
On the other hand, it is the socio-economic condition of the country that plays a role alas a decisive role. Job insecurity, especially for young people, and difficulty in accessing housing have pushed many to postpone or give up parenthood. Growing economic uncertainty, combined with increasingly long training times, prevents many young people from realizing their dream of becoming parents.
Furthermore, the housing crisis and family policies that are not always adapted to the needs of modernity push towards a culture of postponement, with the hope that conditions will be better in the future. But this only perpetuates the cycle of population decline, with a direct impact on the country’s economic and social development.
And not only that: difficulties in reconciling work and family life, combined with economic instability, also fuel uncertainty, pushing couples to postpone or avoid having children. A future which, unfortunately, appears increasingly marked by a demographic void, with long-term impacts on future generations.
