Italy's demographic crisis deepened in 2024 as the number of births hit a new record low, emigration accelerated and the population continued to shrink, national statistics bureau ISTAT said on Monday.

Italy's ever-falling birth rate is considered a national emergency, but despite Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her predecessors pledging to make it a priority, none have so far been able to halt the drop.

There were some 281,000 more deaths than births in 2024 and the population fell by 37,000 to 58.93 million, continuing a decadelong trend.