Italy, the oldest country in Europe and the second in the world

Italy: In Italy, seven people are born and 12 die for every 100,000 inhabitants, which increased immigration has led to an accelerated population decline with dire social and economic consequences, notes a report released today.

The analysis published this Saturday in the newspaper Corriere della Sera, based on the latest report of the National Institute of Statistics (Istat), stating that as a result of this phenomenon, at the end of 2022 the Italian population was estimated at 58 million 851 thousand people, 179 thousand less than the population of Italy. last year.

In this country, one in four people is over the age of 65, which represents 24.1 percent of its population, a marked increase compared to the 23.8 percentage points recorded in 2021.

Those under 14, estimated at 7,334,000, fell 12.5 percent of the total, 136,000 fewer than a year earlier, while the country already has 22,000 centenarians, a new record, a number that has tripled in the past two years. contracts.

For this reason, today Italy is the oldest country in Europe and ranks second in the world, after only Japan, according to the study.

The number of immigrants grew slightly and increased by about 20,000 people, to reach 5,500,000 foreigners, an increase of 3.9 percent from 2021, but despite this increase, it does not stop the population decline.

However, the most worrying thing for analysts is the sharp decline in births, as there were only about 393,000 births in 2022, which is a new low ever since national unification in 1871, with a negative natural balance of 320,000, which is so far. It compensated for the 713,000 deaths that occurred last year.

The fertility rate, according to the latest statistical data, is 1.23 children per woman, which is well below the replacement threshold of 2.1, while the average childbearing age continues to rise and is now about 32 years.

The negative demographic trend presents a challenge for the country, say the specialists, who propose among the measures to reverse it “an increase in family and maternity services, as well as more work flexibility and a more welcoming and sustainable immigration policy”.