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In 2026, 25.1 percent of the total population in Italy is estimated to be 65 years and older. According to data, the share of elderly people in Italian society has been growing constantly since 2009. Consequently, the share of the young population has experienced a decrease in recent years. As a result, the average age of Italians has risen. In 2011, it was 43.6 years, whereas in 2026 it was estimated to be 47.1 years. 

The oldest country in Europe

Italy and Portugal are the European countries with the largest percentage of elderly citizens. In 2025, more than 24 percent of their total population was aged 65 years and older. Bulgaria and Greece followed in the ranking, while Azerbaijan had the lowest share of elderly population, less than ten percent. 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 and Spain 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 2025, only six babies were born per 1,000 inhabitants, three children fewer than in 2010. In the south of Italy, in 2025, the birth rate stood at 6.4 infants per 1,000 inhabitants, whereas in central Italy this figure reached only 5.5, the highest and lowest rates in the country, respectively.