An increasingly old country, with fewer and fewer births and in which the immigration trend seems to have reversed: entries are collapsing and expatriations are increasing. This is the picture of Italy that emerges from the Istat Annual Report, according to which in 2013, for example, births reached a new historic low, settling at 515 units, 12 less than the minimum recorded in 1995.
But what is striking are the data on immigration, increasingly held back by the crisis: in 2012 there were 321 entries, -27,7% compared to 2007, while the number of foreigners leaving is growing (+17,9%) and, above all, of Italians seeking fortune abroad. In fact, the number of emigrants grew to 68 in 2012, up 36% on an annual basis, "the highest number in 10 years".
There are also many young people between the ages of 15 and 34 who leave the country in search of opportunities, 26 in 2012. From 2008 to today, there have been almost 100 young expatriates.
On the other hand, there are about 3 million Italian families where no one works: 2 million those with at least one 15-64 year old, without employment and retired from work, plus about another million families made up of several people, but supported only by a pension of Work.
There are 6,3 million people without a job, between unemployed and people who would like to work. Looking at young people, in 2013 among young people aged between 15 and 29 who neither work nor study, the so-called NEETs, numbered 2 million 435 thousand, an increase of 576 thousand compared to 2008. The number of families in which the only employed person is women, +34,5% between 2008 and 2013, over 2,3 million.
The number of people belonging to families in conditions of severe deprivation is down, equal to 7,6 million, or 12,5%, against 8,7 million in 2012. In general, according to Istat, "Italy is one of the European countries with the greatest inequality in the distribution of primary incomes, earned by families, on the market by employing labor and investing savings".
Lastly, Italy remains one of the oldest countries in the world: our old age index remains one of the highest in the world, with 151,4 people over 65 for every 100 young people under 15, against an EU average at 116,6. Life expectancy is 79,6 years for men and 84,4 for women.
