Italy hits historic low with 355,000 births in 2025, fertility rate falls to 1.14

Italy births 2025 fertility rate 1.14 economic obstacles to childbearing natural population decline demographic crisis

In 2025 Italy recorded only 355,000 births, the lowest number since the post‑World War II era. The total fertility rate dropped to 1.14 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed for population replacement. At the same time, 652,000 deaths were registered, creating a natural population decline of 297,000 people.

A new dossier by the Foundation for Birthrate, in partnership with ISTAT and INPS, found that 62.2 % of Italians of child‑bearing age say they have given up on having children because of economic, labour and social obstacles, while only 5.5 % claim parenthood does not fit their life plan. If all expressed fertility intentions were realised, roughly 760,000 children would have been born in 2025, more than double the actual figure.

Two‑point‑eight million respondents identified financial and employment difficulties as the main barrier, 49.9 % of women fear negative career impacts from motherhood, and more than 3 million women are inactive in the labour market for family reasons. The demographic decline raises concerns for the sustainability of Italy’s pension, health‑care and welfare systems.

Entities: Fondazione per la Natalità · Francesco Maria Chelli · Germany · Gigi De Palo · INPS · Istat · Italy · Valeria Vittimberga

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 13 SOURCES] Italy recorded 355,000 births in 2025, the lowest number since the post‑World‑War II era. (new)
[● 13 SOURCES] The total fertility rate in Italy in 2025 was 1.14 children per woman. (new)
[● 13 SOURCES] 62.2 % of Italians of child‑bearing age who will not have more children say they gave up because of economic, labour or social obstacles. (new)
[● 13 SOURCES] If fertility intentions were realized, about 760,000 children would have been born in Italy in 2025. (new)
[● 13 SOURCES] 49.9 % of Italian women fear negative career consequences from motherhood, compared with 24 % of men. (new)
[● 13 SOURCES] 2.8 million Italians identified economic and labour difficulties as the main obstacle to having children. (new)
[● 13 SOURCES] In 2025 Italy recorded 652,000 deaths and a natural population decline of 297,000 people. (new)
[● 13 SOURCES] Only 5.5 % of Italians of child‑bearing age say parenthood is not part of their life plan. (new)