In Italy, only 355,000 children were born in 2025 — the lowest figure since the period after World War II. The fertility rate fell to 1.14 children per woman, Ansa reports.

These data are contained in the report “Natalità 2026: Volere o Potere” (“Birth Rate 2026: Wanting or Being Able”), prepared by the Birth Rate Foundation together with Italy’s National Institute of Statistics (Istat). The document was presented at an event attended by the head of the Birth Rate Foundation, Gigi De Palo, Istat president Francesco Maria Chelli, and the general director of the National Institute of Social Security (Inps), Valeria Vittimberga.

According to the study, if the plans Italian women stated regarding having children had been realized, around 760,000 newborns could have been born in the country in 2025 — more than twice the actual figure.

At the same time, only 5.5% of respondents said that parenthood is not part of their life plans. Most of those who decided against having another child pointed to economic, employment, and social obstacles.

About 2.8 million Italians named financial difficulties and instability in the labor market as the main obstacle to having children. Nearly half of women (49.9%) fear negative consequences of motherhood for their careers. Among men, this figure is 24%.

An additional problem remains the burden on the social support system: more than 3 million women do not work because of family circumstances, while among men there are about 151,000 such cases. Another 763,000 people said they are deciding against having children because they need to care for elderly parents.

The authors of the report note that Italy is facing accelerating population aging and a growing demographic imbalance. In 2025, against the backdrop of 355,000 births, 652,000 deaths were registered, which led to a natural population decline of almost 297,000 people.

“On the one hand, Italy has one of the highest life expectancies in the world — 83.4 years. On the other hand, this achievement is increasingly putting pressure on the sustainability of the healthcare system, social support system, and pension system,” the report says.