13 Nov 2025, 06:00 PM IST i — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2025 According to reports, the cited national statistics bureau ISTAT, Italy is set to have a larger drop in the number of births in 2025, reaching a historical low, exacerbating the country's demographic crisis. This is the sixteenth consecutive year in which the birth rate declined. ISTAT also said that this would lead to a workforce that grows increasingly older due to the gradual rising in retirement age. In the first seven months of 2025 the negative trend continued, with just under 198,000 newborns, down 6.3% from the same period of 2024, ISTAT said, in a statement cited by Reuters. The fertility rate, measuring the average number of children born to each woman of child-bearing age, fell in January-July to 1.13, from last year's record low of 1.18, the bureau added. The statistics agency said that the share of people either working or looking for work in the 55-64 age group will rise to 70% from 61% last year by 2050, whereas the 65-74 age group it will rise to 16% from 11%. Italy has undertaken measures such as exempting mothers with three or more children who are permanent employees from social security contributions, increasing pay to 80% for the second month parental leave, and increasing the kindergarten bonus amount to families. Experts have stated that a comprehensive focus on expanding affordability and access to public childcare, such as kindergartens and creches; increasing childcare support for working mothers and gender equal parental leave would help combat the crisis. "This points to the need to improve the compatibility of work and family life. A large divide exists between Northern and Southern regions, with much lower female labor force participation but a similar fertility rate in the South, suggesting the presence of structural impediments, such as scarcity of childcare facilities," an excerpt from IMF Staff's 2024 country report on Italy said. ALSO READ