The data released by the Italian statistics agency Istat, showed that the number of live births in 2018 reached only 439 747, signalling an 18 404 drop from the previous year.
This is the lowest birth rate since the unification of the country in the 1800s, Italian daily Il Giornale reported. The low birthrates in Italy, combined with mass migration, will dramatically change Italy’s demographics.
The immigrant population of Italy has seen a huge growth in recent years, accounting for 5 255 503 people — or 8,7 percent of the total population. This is an increase of 2,2 per cent in 2018. Net migration, however, declined slightly, from 188 330 in 2017 to 175 364 in 2018.
A think-tank has predicted that due to mass migration and very low birthrates, half of all Italians could eventually be Muslims by the end of the century. The FareFuturo foundation, an Italian think tank, predicted that the decline of Christian families together with the influx of migrants, could mean that as many as half of all Italians could be Muslims by the year 2100.
According to Istat, the rate is 1,32 per woman and households are thus shrinking with nearly one-third of all households being single individuals. Only a third of household are currently families with children.
The population of Italy has aged on average, as life expectancy has increased to 80,8 years for men and 85,2 years for women.
A massive reduction in illegal migrants has been noted since 2019 nevertheless, largely thanks to the closed ports policies of former Interior Minister and Lega leader Matteo Salvini.
The recent increase in landings since Salvini was booted from the new coalition government with the Five Star Movement (M5S) and were replaced by the left-establishment Democratic Party (PD), could once again result in a rise in the figures.
In 2018, Istat predicted that by 2065, the Italian population could drop by as much as ten per cent due to the low birthrate.