ROME – The pandemic has caused Italy’s notoriously low birth rate to fall still further amid projections the country will lose a fifth of its population within the next 30 years, according to the Italian Statistical Institute (Istat).

 January 2021 saw a 13.6 percent drop in births—around 5,000 less in total—compared to the previous year. The birth rate is expected to fall below 400,000 at the start of this year, marking a 160 year low. 

 "It seemed that whoever wanted a child around the outbreak of the pandemic moved the date on the calendar forward. But they have not finished waiting yet. This year, in January alone, there was the greatest drop in births ever, with five thousand fewer,” said Gian Carlo Blangiardo, president of Istat. 

 There were multiple reasons for the downturn. “Think how complicated it could have been to deal with a pregnancy in the middle of a pandemic, with visits to the hospital when there were still no vaccines,” Blangiardo said in an interview with La Repubblica. “Or when they arrived, choosing whether to get immunised or not.”

 Given the birth rate has already been in decline for decades due to economic instability, said Blangiardo, many were hoping that the confinement of lockdown would result in a baby boom. However, the latest data has led to disappointment.

"In just over a decade, births have dropped by one third in Italy, with 404,892 babies born in 2020, down from 576,659 in 2008,” he said. “Almost all of the decline is attributed to families with two Italian parents.”

 Blangiardo highlighted that with an aging population the Italian government would need to provide more incentives to have children, as well as invest in the so-called ‘silver economy.’

 “We need to invest more in welfare, health care, and finding solutions to reconcile work and family.”

  He added, “for some time now we have been grappling with services and products intended to improve the quality of life of the elderly. Just look at the advertisements - it is full of offers on hearing aids, cruises with assistance, mobile phones with large numbers, and food supplements.”

  Blangiardo suggested Italy could lead the way for a strong silver economy when it becomes more prevalent in countries such as China, who in a few decades is projected to have an enormous older population to support.

ln