ROME – The economic crisis and a lack of awareness of fertility problems are contributing to a declining birth rate in Italy, new research by the Ibsa foundation shows.

In previous years the flow of migrants into the country helped to balance out an aging population, however a new study indicates that this is no longer the case. An estimated 62 thousand new-borns are being “lost” each year and in 2013, the birth rate fell by 3.7 per cent compared to the previous year.

Of those polled for the new research, carried out in conjunction with Censis, a staggering 83 per cent said that the financial crisis is a strong deterrent for starting a family.

Another contributing factor to the change is the age at which Italian women are beginning their families. Head of Welfare and Health for Census Ketty Vaccaro explains, “46 per cent of Italians don’t think that you need to worry about having children until age 35.” At this age, she explains, couples can discover that they already have fertility problems which could lead to a reliance on IVF to conceive.