Italy’s population, known for being the second-oldest in the world, only Japan beats it in that dubious distinction, is getting even older.
According to figures released on Thursday by ISTAT, not only is it aging, but it has shrunk even more in 2021.
The national statistics agency said Italy’s resident population on December 31, 2021 was 59,030,133, down by 206,080 (0.3%) with respect to the end of the previous year.
The agency said the decrease in the population mainly affected central and northern Italy, with drops of 0.5% and 0.4% respectively and the average age of people residing in Italy last year was 46, up from 43 in 2011.
There are two main explanations for Italy’s aging population; a high life expectancy and a low birth rate. The result is that people live longer, alongside a declining number of births. Italy is among the countries with the highest life expectancy at birth worldwide.
One reason often cited for the declining birth rate is a lack of job security and affordable child care. Pensions absorb most of Italy’s welfare spending and the majority of new jobs are on temporary contracts that offer no financial stability.
On the other hand, the long life expectancy is a positive factor. As the renowned medical journal Lancet points out, eating habits play a key role when it comes to Italians and longevity. A large part of the population can easily bring fresh and healthy food to the table, regardless of social status and income. These are the benefits of the so-called Mediterranean diet.
While there is great emphasis placed on the exploding global population which has just recently reached 8 billion, the surprising fact is that Italy is not alone in these statistics. At the global level, population decline is driven by low and falling fertility levels. In 2019, more than 40 per cent of the world population lived in countries that were at or below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman; in 2021, this share climbed to 60 per cent.
