Age distribution of the population in Italy 2015-2030

In the first fifteen years of the twenty-first century, the age structure of the Italian population has changed. The proportion of people over 45 years of age increased, whereas the share of younger generations dropped. As a matter of fact, the average age of the population in 2018 was 45.2 years, about two years higher than in 2011. Italians are getting older and the tendency is predicted to continue in the following years.

Less births every year

One of the factors influencing changes in the age group distribution is the decrease in the number of births. In 2017, 458 thousand babies were born in Italy, which was roughly 106 thousand less in comparison with the number of infants born a decade earlier.

Italian population one of the oldest in the world

With 23 percent of the population older than 65 years, Italy placed third in the worldwide ranking of countries with the largest share of elderly citizens. The only two countries ahead were Japan and Monaco, where the proportion of individuals older than 65 years reached 28 and 26 percent, respectively.