Negative record number of births in Italy, Pope warns of "demographic winter"

Reuters

27/12/2021

Monday, 27 December 2021, 17:54 Updated: 18:06

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Pope Francis holds a baby doll of Christ at Christmas Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, December 24, 2021 (Photo: AP)

Italy recorded a negative record last year in the number of births, which fell for the 12th year in a row. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, released this month, only 404,892 babies were born in boot country in 2020 - the least since the unification of Italy in 1861, a decrease of 15,192 compared to 2019.

In contrast, 746,146 people died in Italy in 2020, and the population was reduced to 59.3 million people. The National Bureau of Statistics reported that this year, too, there was a decline in the number of births in the country, and it noted that the corona plague, which hit Italy hard, contributed to this.

Pope Francis expressed regret over the drop in birth rates in Italy, which is home to the Vatican City, and warned that the trend posed a threat to the country's future.

"The demographic winter is a real concern, at least here in Italy," the Catholic Church leader said in his weekly speech at St. Peter's Basilica.

"Many people seem to have lost the desire to have children. Many couples choose to be left without children or to have only one child. It is a tragedy that is contrary to our families, our country and our future."

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