Births in Italy went below 400,000 for the first time ever in 2021, according to the statistics institute ISTAT, while the overall population plummeted by more than 250,000 as the COVID-19 epidemic weighed on it adversely.
According to ISTAT, 709,035 individuals died in Italy in 2021, 30,000 fewer than in 2020 but 9.8 percent more than the 2015-2019 average.
COVID-19-related deaths accounted for around 59,000 deaths in 2021, compared to more than 77,000 the previous year, when COVID vaccinations were not available. 156,868 deaths have been connected to COVID-19 in Italy, the eighth highest figure in the world.
According to demographers, the pandemic has expedited a decline in Italy’s birthrate, with 399,431 newborns documented in 2021 compared to 404,892 in 2020 – the 13th consecutive yearly drop and the lowest number since Italy’s unification in 1861.
According to ISTAT, the total population will fall by 253,091 to 58.98 million in 2021, after accounting for births, deaths, and migratory flows.
Last year, Pope Francis mourned Italy’s falling birthrate, saying that the dip constituted a “demographic winter” that posed a threat to the country’s future.
Post Your Comments