Italian President Sergio Mattarella has warned that his country's future is threatened by a low birth rate, after new data showed that the population had shrunk again in 2019.
One of the reasons for the chronic stagnation of the stagnant economy, while the situation is getting worse, is the growing population crisis in Italy - due to the decline in the number of births and the increase in life expectancy -
The National Statistics Agency stated that the number of births reached 435 thousand last year, down five thousand from 2018, which is the lowest level recorded in Italy, and the total number of deaths reached 647 thousand in 2019, an increase of about 14,000 from 2018.
"This is a problem related to the existence of our country itself ... the fabric of our country is weakening and everything must be done to counter this phenomenon," Mattarella said shortly after the publication of these statements.
"As an elderly person, I am well aware of the low birth rate," added the 78-year-old president.
The population decreased by 116,000, bringing the total to 60.3 million, with a steady increase in the number of immigrants and births among immigrants, which helped offset the low local birth rate.