The oldest country in Europe: What’s behind Italy’s ageing problem?

Italy’s ageing problem is starting to take a toll on its world-famous ‘dolce vita’. 

The number of newborns doesn’t nearly match the country’s growing number of pensioners. Meanwhile, efforts by Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government to boost birth rates have so far failed to turn the tide on Italy's demographic decline.

According to data from Eurostat, Italy is the oldest country in the European Union, with an average median age of above 48. Together with Portugal, Italy has the highest percentage of residents older than 65 at 24%. That's roughly one in four.

This increase reflects a European-wide trend. The EU has experienced an overall rise in its median age to 44.5 years old. Now, the number of elderly people represents more than one-fifth of the bloc's population. 

“However, what’s even more significant is the ageing trend within Italy’s older population itself,” Cecilia Tomassini, professor in Demography and Social Statistics at the University of Molise, told Euronews. 

“Specifically, the proportion of individuals aged 80 and above has risen to 7.7% of the total population, a notable increase from a mere 3.3% recorded in 1991,” she added.

“Essentially, while the overall population increased by 3.4% since 1991, the segment aged 80 and above more than doubled during the same period.”

But the Italian ‘nonni’ - well-beloved figures in the country as well as abroad - are not the problem, Giovanni Lamura from Italy's National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing told Euronews.

“To have people live longer should be a goal on the political agenda of any country’s government,” he said. “The problem is that fertility rates in Italy are low, we have fewer and fewer children.”

The reason for Italy’s ageing population is simple: