Italy is experiencing a severe demographic decline, with official figures from ISTAT showing the population falling below 59 million. Last year saw just 355,000 births, the lowest ever recorded, representing a drop of nearly 40% since 2008. Meanwhile, 652,000 deaths were registered, resulting in a net loss of almost 300,000 citizens in a single year — the equivalent of Verona's entire population vanishing annually.
Fertility rate and ageing population
The fertility rate has crashed to 1.14 children per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1. With a median age above 49, Italy is now the oldest country in the European Union. The crisis has led to school closures in rural areas, a shrinking workforce, and insufficient taxpayers to fund healthcare and pensions.
Government response and UK warning
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has declared the 'demographic winter' a national emergency, introducing €1,000 (£855) baby bonuses and tax relief to encourage families. However, these measures have not reversed the trend. Experts warn the UK could follow a similar path. Travel writer Sean Thomas noted, 'Italy may be the future of every Western nation that can’t make babies, and can’t compete with China.'
Dietary shift and child obesity
Alongside the birth rate crisis, Italy's traditional Mediterranean diet is disappearing, replaced by what Doctor Valter Longo calls the 'five Ps' — pizza, pasta, potatoes, protein, and pane. Ultra-processed foods now dominate supermarkets. In the Campania region, over 40% of eight- and nine-year-olds are overweight. Ponticelli, near Naples, has become a child obesity hotspot. Doctor Roberto Berni Canani said, 'I've treated children who are just two or three years old and already weigh 25kg.'
