Italy has lost more than half a million inhabitants in five years with the drop in births and the increase in departures abroad, not compensated by the arrivals of foreigners, announced Monday the National Institute of statistics (Istat).
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“ As of December 31, 2019, the resident population in Italy is 60,244,639 people, almost 189,000 less than at the beginning of the year. Compared to the same date in 2014, it decreased by 551,000 people, confirming the persistence of the demographic decline that has characterized these last five years, ”writes Istat. " New negative birth record ," says Istat, after that of 2018: barely 420,170 births, around 19,000 fewer over a year.
" Accentuated demographic aging "
" The negative natural dynamic of the population continues and once again registers a significant deficit in the" natural substitution "between newborns and deceased, in line with the negative trend for several years ", adds Istat, with deaths exceeding 214,000 new births in 2019.
The Italian population is " characterized by an accentuated demographic aging " recalls Istat and the arrivals of foreigners who are " slowing down " can only " attenuate " the overall decline in the population. Italy welcomes citizens of 194 different nationalities to its territory, including fifty with at least 10,000 residents in the peninsula.
The top five nationalities in terms of residents, Romanians (1.208 million), Albanians (441,000), Moroccans (432,000), Chinese (305,000) and Ukrainians (240,000) alone represent almost half of the foreigners present in Italy, underlines Istat.
