Italy's birth rate hits historical low, less than 7 newborns for every 1,000 inhabitants

In Italy, the birth rate has hit a historic low with less than 7 newborns for every 1,000 inhabitants, according to the statistics agency Istat. The population of the European country has shrunk to 58.9 million residents as of January 1, according to the agency that surveyed the figures. The death rate has far exceeded the birth rate and the falling birth rate is not being compensated by higher immigration into the country, Istat stressed. 

Since 2008, the birth rate has been on a downward trend in Italy. But it would be the first time that the country's birth rate has fallen below 400,000 since the 1800, Istat said. The pension and health-care systems have been strained across the country due to the falling birth rates. Europe, over the past few years, has witnessed slump in the working-age adults as the majority aging population retires. Italy has recently hiked its old-age pension to 67 years old in a drastic move. Last year, the figures of the centenarian population above 100 years old of age rose to more than 2,000 in Italy, as per the data released by the country's National Statistics Bureau Istat. In 2022, the overall population shrank by 179,000. 

Italy slammed for not registering kids of same-sex parents

Just last week, the European Parliament condemned Italy’s conservative government after it asked the council to stop registering children of same-sex parents. EU derided Italy’s conservative government for its move that it slammed as "discriminatory". It restricts the rights of LGBTQ+ people, European Parliament MEPs said, according to The Guardian newspaper. The Milan city council had been transcribing children of same-sex couples born via surrogacy or IVF overseas into its civil register which Italy has objected to. European Parliament slammed Italy for what it said was a "broader attack against the LGBTQI+ community in Italy”.

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala also made a trip to Brussels to form an alliance and seek support from the opposition parties against the ruling Italian government. He warned that with such orders, the Italian ruling administration is violating the rights of same-sex-parent families.

EU MEPs have been urging Italy to “immediately rescind its decision". Such an act "will inevitably lead to discrimination against not only same-sex couples but also primarily their children," they argued, according to an amendment to a 2022 report compiled by liberal and centrist political group Renew Europe.