Share of elderly population in Italy 2009-2024

In 2024, 24.3 percent of the total population in Italy is estimated to be 65 years and older. According to data, the share of elderly people in the Italian society has been growing constantly since 2009. Consequently, the share of young population experienced a decrease in the last years. As a result, the average age of Italians has risen. In 2011, it was 43.6 years, whereas in 2024 it was estimated to be 46.6 years. 

The oldest country in Europe

Italy and Portugal are the European countries with the largest percentage of elderly citizens. In 2023, 24 percent of the total population was aged 65 years and older. Bulgaria and Czechia followed in the ranking, while Türkiye had the lowest share of elder population. An increasingly longer lifespan might provide an explanation for such a high share of citizens over 65 years in Italy. The Republic ranks among the countries with the highest life expectancy worldwide. In Europe, only people in Switzerland, Spain, and Sweden can expect to live longer. 

Fewer babies than ever

The share of young people is getting slimmer, not only because the elderly are living longer than ever before. In fact, Italians are having fewer children compared to previous years. The birth rate in the country has been constantly decreasing: in 2023, only 6.5 babies were born per 1,000 inhabitants, three children less than in 2010. In the south of Italy, in 2023 the birth rate stood at seven infants per 1,000 inhabitants, whereas in the Center this figure reached only 5.9, the highest and lowest rates in the country, respectively.