Birth rate in Italy at all-time low, registers increase in foreign population
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The number of foreign citizens living in Italy grew in 2022, the national statistics institute Istat said on Friday.
As of January 1, 2023, there were 5,050,000 foreigners living in Italy, up 3.9% – or by around 20,000 people – over the previous year, Istat said.
Instead, the overall resident population of Italy reportedly shrunk by 3% over the same period.
As of January 1, 2023, the population stood at 58,851,000, 179,000 people less than on January 1, 2022.
However, the downwards trend has slowed with respect to the period 2021-2022, when the population fell by -3.5%, and to 2020-2021, when it dropped by -6.7%.
The birth rate in Italy is at an all-time low and mortality remains high, the national statistics institute Istat said on Friday.
In 2022, there were less than 7 births and more than 12 deaths for every 1,000 inhabitants, Istat said.
Last year, births fell below the 400,000 mark for the first time since the unification of Italy, standing at 393,000.
Since 2008, the last year that saw an increase in births, the number has dropped by about 184,000, of which approximately 27,000 since 2019.
The fall in the birth rate is due to a combination of factors, including the drop in size and the progressive aging of the female population.
