Recorded the lowest birth rate in its history Italy's population continues to decline

April 08, 2023

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Recorded the lowest birth rate in its history Italy's population continues to decline Italy recorded the lowest number of births in its history, amounting to 393,000, compared to 713,000 deaths, while the Italian Statistical Institute announced the continuation of the demographic decline in the country. The Italian Statistics Institute announced on Friday that the demographic decline continues in light of the aging of the population and the recording of the lowest number of births ever in the history of the country. The population of Italy reached 58.851 million people at the beginning of January 2023, a decrease of 179 thousand people compared to the previous year (-0.3%). "The number of deaths reached 713,000, and births 393,000, which is a new historical minimum," the institute said in a statement. He added that "in 2022, the number of births decreased for the first time since the unification of Italy" in 1861 to "below the threshold of 400,000," explaining that the decline has been continuing since 2008, the last year that witnessed an increase in the number of births. At the same time, the aging of the population continued, with the average age of Italians increasing from 45.7 years at the beginning of 2020 to 46.4 years at the beginning of 2023. Those over the age of 65 now represent 24.1% of the population, compared to 23.8% in the previous year, while the number of the elderly over 100 has reached 22,000 and has tripled in two decades, according to the same source. The demographic challenge is at the center of the project of far-right Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who has made increasing birthrates an "absolute priority" for her government. Ukraine rejects a Brazilian proposal to cede Crimea Ukraine announced its rejection of a Brazilian proposal to cede Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 in exchange for ending the war, stressing that there is no legal, political or moral reason to give up one centimeter of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine said on Friday it would not give up Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 in return for ending the war, rejecting a proposal by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. "There is no legal, political or moral reason to give up one centimeter of Ukrainian territory," Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, wrote on Facebook, stressing his appreciation for "the efforts of the Brazilian president to find a way to stop Russian aggression." He added, "Every mediation aimed at restoring peace in Ukraine must be based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as a whole, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter." On Thursday, Lula suggested that Ukraine cede Crimea to Russia in order to end the war, arguing that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could not "have everything". At the end of last January, the Brazilian president put forward a still vague proposal regarding the mediation of several countries in the conflict in Ukraine. Lula is due to present the proposal to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing next week. The Brazilian president said he was "confident" in the chances of success of this proposal, expressing his hope that the group of countries would be "established" after his return from China. Russia has confirmed several times in recent days the impossibility of holding talks now, vowing to continue its military operation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that peace negotiations on Ukraine can only take place on the basis of establishing a "new world order" that is not subject to US hegemony.

Italy recorded the lowest number of births in its history, amounting to 393,000, compared to 713,000 deaths, while the Italian Statistical Institute announced the continuation of the demographic decline in the country.

The Italian Statistics Institute announced on Friday that the demographic decline continues in light of the aging of the population and the recording of the lowest number of births ever in the history of the country.

The population of Italy reached 58.851 million people at the beginning of January 2023, a decrease of 179 thousand people compared to the previous year (-0.3%).

"The number of deaths reached 713,000, and births 393,000, which is a new historical minimum," the institute said in a statement.

He added that "in 2022, the number of births decreased for the first time since the unification of Italy" in 1861 to "below the threshold of 400,000," explaining that the decline has been continuing since 2008, the last year that witnessed an increase in the number of births.

At the same time, the aging of the population continued, with the average age of Italians increasing from 45.7 years at the beginning of 2020 to 46.4 years at the beginning of 2023.

Those over the age of 65 now represent 24.1% of the population, compared to 23.8% in the previous year, while the number of the elderly over 100 has reached 22,000 and has tripled in two decades, according to the same source.

The demographic challenge is at the center of the project of far-right Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who has made increasing birthrates an "absolute priority" for her government.

Ukraine rejects a Brazilian proposal to cede Crimea

Ukraine announced its rejection of a Brazilian proposal to cede Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 in exchange for ending the war, stressing that there is no legal, political or moral reason to give up one centimeter of Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine said on Friday it would not give up Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 in return for ending the war, rejecting a proposal by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"There is no legal, political or moral reason to give up one centimeter of Ukrainian territory," Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, wrote on Facebook, stressing his appreciation for "the efforts of the Brazilian president to find a way to stop Russian aggression."

He added, "Every mediation aimed at restoring peace in Ukraine must be based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as a whole, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter."

On Thursday, Lula suggested that Ukraine cede Crimea to Russia in order to end the war, arguing that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could not "have everything".

At the end of last January, the Brazilian president put forward a still vague proposal regarding the mediation of several countries in the conflict in Ukraine. Lula is due to present the proposal to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing next week.

The Brazilian president said he was "confident" in the chances of success of this proposal, expressing his hope that the group of countries would be "established" after his return from China.

Russia has confirmed several times in recent days the impossibility of holding talks now, vowing to continue its military operation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that peace negotiations on Ukraine can only take place on the basis of establishing a "new world order" that is not subject to US hegemony.