Italy faces demographic crisis as elderly population surpasses children

Italy is facing a profound demographic transition characterized by structural aging and a declining birth rate. According to ISTAT data, the country has the oldest population in the European Union and the second oldest in the world, following Japan.

There are approximately 14.57 million people aged 65 or older, representing 24.7% of the total population. Notably, the number of individuals over 80 has reached 4.6 million, surpassing the 4.3 million children under the age of 10 for the first time in national history. The aging index has exceeded 200%, meaning there are more than twice as many elderly people as there are children under 14.

This shift poses significant challenges to the sustainability of the national health service (SSN) and social welfare systems. The European Union has called on Italy to improve timely and economically sustainable access to care while addressing personnel shortages. The deterioration of public services risks creating new forms of inequality, such as health poverty, as costs shift from public funds to individual citizens.