Italy population stabilises after 12 years of decline as births hit record low and migration rises

Italy’s population has stabilised after 12 ‌years of decline, with immigration almost entirely offsetting a shrinking number of births, while life expectancy continues to rise, national statistics agency ISTAT said on Tuesday.Preliminary data showed the ​resident population stood at 58.94 million on January 1 this year, virtually ​unchanged from a year earlier, ISTAT said in its annual ⁠demographic report.

“Italy remains a country where only very positive net migration can offset ​a largely negative natural change and where the population continues to age,” the ​statistics bureau said.
Without a sustained inflows of migrants the population will resume shrinking, intensifying long‑term pressures on the labour market and public finances, it added.The influx of immigrants has taken place ​under the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has taken ​a tough line on undocumented migrants while also increasing work visas for non-EU citizens.

BIRTHS DROP TO A ‌NEW RECORD ⁠LOW

Births dropped to 355,000 in 2025, down 3.9% from the previous year to a new record low since the country’s unification in 1861, while deaths held broadly steady at 652,000, yielding a negative balance of close to 300,000 ​people.

Fertility fell further to ​an average of ⁠1.14 children per woman, among the lowest levels in Europe and well below the replacement rate of 2.1, reflecting ​delayed parenthood and a shrinking pool of potential parents.

Net immigration ​stood at ⁠296,000, with arrivals from abroad reaching 440,000, while emigration fell sharply to 144,000, the lowest level recorded in the past decade.

The foreign resident population rose by 188,000 ⁠to ​5.56 million.

Life expectancy increased further after the COVID-19 ​pandemic years, reaching 81.7 years for men and 85.7 for women, placing Italy among the longest-living countries ​in the European Union, ISTAT said.