Rome, Italy, Jul 13, 2020 / 09:37 am
According to Italy's national statistics institute, the country is likely to see a significant decline in the number of babies born in the period following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In their 2020 annual report, Istat, Italy's national statistics institute, predicted that the climate of uncertainty and fear caused by the coronavirus may result in 10,000 fewer births in Italy over the course of the rest of 2020 and 2021.
The report also noted that if the predicted rise in unemployment is included in the calculating factors, it is predicted that in the worst case, births may drop to just around 396,000 in 2021 – a decrease of nearly 24,000 from 2019.
The Istat report also noted that "Italy is a country with permanent low fertility," with birth rates continuing to decrease since the first decades of the 20th century.