Italy’s births hit record low as Giorgia Meloni struggles to halt population decline

The number of babies born in Italy dropped 2.6 per cent last year, while the number of Italians leaving the country surged, reflecting the uphill battle that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces to reverse the country’s long-running demographic decline. Just 370,000 babies were born in Italy in 2024, about 10,000 fewer than last year and well below the half a million born a decade ago, according to figures published by Italy’s national statistics agency Istat on Monday. It was the 16th consecutive year of falling births.