L'Italia che invecchia
An aging Italy
Vittorio Sabatini
Transcript
Italy is one of the oldest countries in the world, right after Japan.
The average age of the population now exceeds forty-six years.
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The birth rate has continued to fall for over a decade.
In 2023 fewer than three hundred eighty thousand children were born, a historic low.
The causes are many: job insecurity, high costs, and little support for families.
Many couples put off the choice to have children until it is too late.
At the same time, life expectancy keeps rising.
This means fewer and fewer workers supporting more and more retirees.
The pension system, based on current contributions, risks becoming unsustainable.
Some economists propose further raising the retirement age.
Others suggest more generous birth-rate policies, like those in France.
Immigration is often pointed to as a possible demographic solution.
However, the topic remains politically sensitive and rarely addressed seriously.
Without a change of course, within a few decades Italy will have a halved population.
Reversing the trend will require courageous choices, not just words anymore.