Over the past decade, the birth rate in Italy has constantly decreased – in 2024, 6.3 children were estimated to be born per 1,000 inhabitants, three infants less than in 2002. The region with the highest birth rate in the country was Trentino-South Tyrol, where 7.6 children were born per 1,000 residents. Italian mothers are older and older Similar to citizens of other European countries, Italians also postpone parenthood to a later age. While the average age of an Italian mother at childbirth in the 1990s was 29.9 years, in 2024 females giving birth were roughly 32.6 years. Italy, a country with one of the lowest fertility rates in the world If compared with the fertility rates around the world, Italy was one of the 20 countries which registered the lowest fertility rate in 2024. The leader of the global ranking was Taiwan, where only 1.11 babies were born per woman.

In Italy, the crude birth rate in 1850 was 38.4 live births per thousand people, meaning that 3.8 percent of the population had been born in that year. Apart from some slight fluctuation in the 1860s, between 1850 and the Second World War, Italy's crude birth rate decreased very gradually. 38.9 was the highest recorded figure in 1865, and it decreased to 27.1 in 1930. Over the next 35 years (including the Second World War and Italian Civil War) the birth rate fluctuated, but overall it dropped to 18.6, and then the decline fell consistently to 10.9 in 1985, where it then plateaued. In the 2000s, the crude birth rate did increase in the first decade, to 9.7 in 2010, before dropping again, and it is expected to fall to it's lowest level of 7.6 in 2020.

Italy IT: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.350 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.350 Ratio for 2015. Italy IT: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.440 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.650 Ratio in 1964 and a record low of 1.190 Ratio in 1995. Italy IT: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

Italy IT: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 7.800 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.000 Ratio for 2015. Italy IT: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 10.000 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.700 Ratio in 1964 and a record low of 7.800 Ratio in 2016. Italy IT: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Historical dataset showing Italy birth rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

In 2024, Trentino-South Tyrol was the region in Italy with the highest birth rate nationwide, with 7.6 births per 1,000 inhabitants. The following three positions in the ranking were occupied by Southern regions: Campania, Sicily, and Calabria. Indeed, south Italy was the macro-region with the largest birth-rate in Italy. Population change in Italy Over the past years, the natural increase in population dropped and the number of deaths exceeded the number of births. This phenomenon can be observed in every region of the country, with the number of births being lower than those of deaths in 2023. Consequently, on a national scale, the share of people aged over 65 years and over grew constantly, whereas the young population declined over the last decade. The median age is increasing as well. High lifespans for Italians Another factor that contributes to making the population older is that people are living longer than ever before. Data about life expectancy reveal that the expected lifespan at birth is rising: in 2023, it stood at 81.1 years for men and 85.2 years for women. In fact, lifespans in Italy are one of the highest worldwide, even above the European average.

Eurostat’s annual data collections on demographic and migration statistics are structured as follows:

• NOWCAST: Annual data collection on provisional monthly data on live births and deaths covering at least six months of the reference year (Article 4.3 of the Commission implementing regulation (EU) No 205/2014).
• DEMOBAL (Demographic balance): Annual data collection on provisional data on population, total live births and total deaths at national level (Article 4.1 of the Commission implementing regulation (EU) No 205/2014).
• POPSTAT (Population statistics): The most in-depth annual national and regional demographic and migration data collection. The data relate to populations, births, deaths, immigrants, emigrants, marriages and divorces, and is broken down into several categories (Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 and Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007).

The aim is to collect annual mandatory and voluntary demographic data from the national statistical institutes. Mandatory data are those defined by the legislation listed under ‘6.1. Institutional mandate - legal acts and other agreements’.

The completeness of the demographic data collected on a voluntary basis depends on the availability and completeness of information provided by the national statistical institutes. For more information on mandatory/voluntary data collection, see 6.1. Institutional mandate - legal acts and other agreements’.

The following statistics on live births are collected from the National Statistical Institutes:

• Live births by month of occurrence;
• Live births by mother's age, year of birth and by:
  • region (NUTS 2) of residence
  • region (NUTS 3) of residence
  • mother's country of birth
  • mother's country of citizenship
  • live-birth order
  • sex of the new-born
  • mother's legal marital status
  • employment status of the mother
  • mother's educational attainment (ISCED 2011);
• Live births by birth weight and duration of gestation;
• Legally induced abortions by mother's age and parity;
• Late fœtal deaths by mother's age.

Statistics on fertility: based on the different breakdowns of data on live births and on legally induced abortions received, Eurostat produces the following:

• Statistics available in the online table Population change - Demographic balance and crude rates at national level (demo_gind):
  • natural change of the population, crude birth rate;
• Statistics available in the online table Fertility indicators (demo_find):
  • the proportion of live births outside marriage
  • total fertility rate
  • the mean age of women at childbirth
  • the mean age of women at the birth of first / second / third / fourth and higher child
  • the median age of women at childbirth
  • the percentage of first / second / third / fourth and higher live births Fertility rates by age (demo_frate);
• Fertility rates by age and NUTS 2 region (demo_r_frate2);
• Total fertility rate by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_frate3);
• Statistics available in the online table Abortion indicators (demo_fabortind):
  • abortion rate
  • abortion ratio

Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Italy was reported at 6.4 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Birth rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Italy: Fertility rate, births per woman: The latest value from 2023 is 1.2 births per woman, a decline from 1.24 births per woman in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 2.41 births per woman, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Italy from 1960 to 2023 is 1.65 births per woman. The minimum value, 1.19 births per woman, was reached in 1995 while the maximum of 2.66 births per woman was recorded in 1964.

In 2024, the birth rate stood at 6.7 births per 1,000 inhabitants in the southern part of the peninsula, the macro-region with the largest rate nationwide. Central regions recorded instead a birth rate of 5.8. The birth rate in the whole country has constantly decreased over the past years – in 2024, 6.3 children were born per 1,000 inhabitants, three infants less than in 2002.

Actual value and historical data chart for Italy Fertility Rate Total Births Per Woman

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. From 1850 until 1910, Italy's fertility rate dropped from 5.5 children per woman to 4.4, and over the next fifty years it dropped a lot more sharply, fluctuating along the way. By 1920 it had dropped to 3.3, as a result of the First World War and the economic turmoil that followed. The interwar years saw some fluctuation, but overall the fertility rate dropped to just 2.6 in 1945. In the 75 years that have followed the war, Italy's fertility rate has followed previous trends, where there are some periods of increase, but overall it declined. In the late 1900s Italy had one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, at just 1.2 children per woman in 200, although this has increased slightly in the past two decades, and is expected to be just over 1.3 in 2020.

Historical dataset showing Italy fertility rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Between 2010 and 2024, the fertility rate in Italy constantly decreased. An Italian woman had 1.44 children in 2010, while in 2020 this figure lowered to 1.24. In 2021, there was a slight increase in fertility rate, with an average of 1.25 babies per woman. In 2024, the figure diminished to 1.18 children per female.

Between 2010 and 2023, the number of births in Italy decreased constantly. In 2010, 550,000 births were registered in the country, while in 2022 the figure dropped to less than 400,000, with less than 380,000 new babies in 2023. The largest number of births nationwide was registered in the North Italian region of Lombardy, with approximately 58,900 infants born in 2021. Indeed, Lombardy is the most populous region of the country. Birth rates Data on birth rates in Italy reveal that Lombardy is only fifth in terms of infants born per 1,000 inhabitants. In 2024, Trentino-South Tyrol recorded the highest birth rate nationwide, with 7.6 newborns per 1,000 inhabitants. Three Southern regions followed in the ranking: Campania, Sicily, and Calabria. In fact, in 2024, the South was the macro-region with the largest birth rate in Italy. Aging population Due to the lower birth rates, the Italian population is aging fast. According to estimates for 2025, the average age in Italy is 46.8 years, 3.4 years older than in 2010. This figure is estimated to increase further in the upcoming years. Projections made in 2019 suggested that the median age will reach 50.8 years in 2030. Afterward, the average age of Italians might reach 53.6 years by 2050.

Time series data for the statistic Fertility_Rate and country Italy. Indicator Definition:Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.The statistic "Fertility Rate" stands at 1.20 births per woman as of 12/31/2023, the lowest value since 12/31/1996. Regarding the One-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes a decrease of -3.23 percent compared to the value the year prior.The 1 year change in percent is -3.23.The 3 year change in percent is -3.23.The 5 year change in percent is -8.40.The 10 year change in percent is -13.67.The Serie's long term average value is 1.65 births per woman. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is 27.20 percent lower, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percent from it's minimum value, on 12/31/1995, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is +0.84%.The Serie's change in percent from it's maximum value, on 12/31/1964, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is -54.89%.

Italy IT: Completeness of Birth Registration: Female data was reported at 100.000 % in 2017. Italy IT: Completeness of Birth Registration: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 100.000 % from Dec 2017 (Median) to 2017, with 1 observations. Italy IT: Completeness of Birth Registration: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Completeness of birth registration is the percentage of children under age 5 whose births were registered at the time of the survey. The numerator of completeness of birth registration includes children whose birth certificate was seen by the interviewer or whose mother or caretaker says the birth has been registered.; ; UNICEF's State of the World's Children based mostly on household surveys and ministry of health data.; ;

Italy IT: Sex Ratio at Birth: Male Births per Female Births data was reported at 1.063 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.063 Ratio for 2015. Italy IT: Sex Ratio at Birth: Male Births per Female Births data is updated yearly, averaging 1.063 Ratio from Dec 1962 (Median) to 2016, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.063 Ratio in 2016 and a record low of 1.063 Ratio in 2016. Italy IT: Sex Ratio at Birth: Male Births per Female Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Sex ratio at birth refers to male births per female births. The data are 5 year averages.; ; United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

Italy IT: Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff: % of Total data was reported at 99.900 % in 2014. This stayed constant from the previous number of 99.900 % for 2013. Italy IT: Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 99.800 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2014, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.900 % in 2014 and a record low of 99.600 % in 2007. Italy IT: Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.World Bank: Health Statistics. Births attended by skilled health staff are the percentage of deliveries attended by personnel trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.; ; UNICEF, State of the World's Children, Childinfo, and Demographic and Health Surveys.; Weighted average; Assistance by trained professionals during birth reduces the incidence of maternal deaths during childbirth. The share of births attended by skilled health staff is an indicator of a health system’s ability to provide adequate care for pregnant women.

Actual value and historical data chart for Italy Adolescent Fertility Rate Births Per 1 000 Women Ages 15 19