The birth rate in Italy fell to a record 1.14 children per woman last year, while in Sardinia it is only 0.85

Rome, March 31 - Italy's birth rate fell to a new low of 1.14 children per woman in 2025, making it one of the countries with the lowest birth rates in the world, according to data released Tuesday by the Italian statistics agency ISTAT.

The report also showed that Italy, which is struggling with a rapidly aging population, has one of the highest life expectancies in Europe: 81.7 years for men and 85.7 years for women.

Sociologist Chiara Saraceno told AFP that women are delaying motherhood for financial reasons due to the extremely difficult conditions for young people.

"It's even more difficult for women because in Italy the division of domestic work remains very unbalanced. No one is saying 'moms shouldn't work' anymore, but they are expected to take care of the children," she added.

The region with the lowest birth rate is Sardinia, with an average of 0.85 children per woman.

Italy was among the ten countries with the lowest birth rates, along with China, Japan and Poland, according to the World Bank's 2023 ranking. Across the European Union, the birth rate fell from 1.57 children per woman in 2010 to 1.34 in 2024.

The size of the Italian population in 2025 remained relatively stable compared to 2024, thanks to migration. The number of foreigners residing in the country increased by 188 thousand, while the number of Italian residents fell by 189 thousand.

WT.24