<p>Italy's demographic crisis deepened in 2024 as the number of births hit a new record low, emigration accelerated and the population continued to shrink, national statistics bureau ISTAT said on Monday.</p><p>Italy's ever-falling birth rate is considered a national emergency, but despite Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her predecessors pledging to make it a priority, none have so far been able to halt the drop.</p><p>There were some 281,000 more deaths than births in 2024 and the population fell by 37,000 to 58.93 million, continuing a decade-long trend.</p><p>Since 2014, Italy's population has shrunk by almost 1.9 million, more than the inhabitants of Milan, its second-largest city, or of the region of Calabria in the country's southern toe.</p>.South Korea birthrate rises for first time in 9 years, marriages surge.<p>The 370,000 babies born in 2024 marked the 16th consecutive annual decline and was the lowest figure since the country's unification in 1861.</p><p>It was down 2.6% from 2023, ISTAT said, and 35.8% lower than in 2008 - the last year Italy saw an increase in the number of babies born.</p><p>The fertility rate, measuring the average number of children born to each woman of child-bearing age, also fell to a record low of 1.18, far below the 2.1 needed for a steady population.</p><p>The previous record low in the fertility rate was 1.19 children per woman recorded in 1995.</p><p>The 651,000 deaths registered in 2024 were the lowest since 2019, bringing the number back into line with levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>Average life expectancy jumped to 83.4 years, up almost five months from 2023.</p><p>The 191,000 Italians who moved abroad last year was officially the highest number this century, spiking more than 20% from the year before, though ISTAT said a regulatory change was probably a key factor in the data.</p><p>A new law introduced last year imposed fines on Italians living abroad who failed to formally register as expatriates in their new country of residence.</p><p>Foreigners made up 9.2% of the country's population in 2024, for a total of 5.4 million, up 3.2% year-on-year, with the majority living in the north of the country.</p><p>Underscoring Italy's rapidly ageing population, ISTAT said almost one in four residents were above the age of 65, while the number of centenarians hit a new high of 23,500. </p>
<p>Italy's demographic crisis deepened in 2024 as the number of births hit a new record low, emigration accelerated and the population continued to shrink, national statistics bureau ISTAT said on Monday.</p><p>Italy's ever-falling birth rate is considered a national emergency, but despite Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her predecessors pledging to make it a priority, none have so far been able to halt the drop.</p><p>There were some 281,000 more deaths than births in 2024 and the population fell by 37,000 to 58.93 million, continuing a decade-long trend.</p><p>Since 2014, Italy's population has shrunk by almost 1.9 million, more than the inhabitants of Milan, its second-largest city, or of the region of Calabria in the country's southern toe.</p>.South Korea birthrate rises for first time in 9 years, marriages surge.<p>The 370,000 babies born in 2024 marked the 16th consecutive annual decline and was the lowest figure since the country's unification in 1861.</p><p>It was down 2.6% from 2023, ISTAT said, and 35.8% lower than in 2008 - the last year Italy saw an increase in the number of babies born.</p><p>The fertility rate, measuring the average number of children born to each woman of child-bearing age, also fell to a record low of 1.18, far below the 2.1 needed for a steady population.</p><p>The previous record low in the fertility rate was 1.19 children per woman recorded in 1995.</p><p>The 651,000 deaths registered in 2024 were the lowest since 2019, bringing the number back into line with levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>Average life expectancy jumped to 83.4 years, up almost five months from 2023.</p><p>The 191,000 Italians who moved abroad last year was officially the highest number this century, spiking more than 20% from the year before, though ISTAT said a regulatory change was probably a key factor in the data.</p><p>A new law introduced last year imposed fines on Italians living abroad who failed to formally register as expatriates in their new country of residence.</p><p>Foreigners made up 9.2% of the country's population in 2024, for a total of 5.4 million, up 3.2% year-on-year, with the majority living in the north of the country.</p><p>Underscoring Italy's rapidly ageing population, ISTAT said almost one in four residents were above the age of 65, while the number of centenarians hit a new high of 23,500. </p>