Italy: Record low number of births as the Pope recommends childbearing to solve Europe-wide dilemma

Italy’s birth rate continues to fall alarmingly, becoming among the lowest in the world. It has seen a steady decline for nearly 15 years, reaching an all-time low last year.

Pope Francis is ramping up his campaign to urge Italians to have children, calling for long-term policies to help families and warning that the country’s demographic crisis threatens the future.

At an annual gathering of pro-family groups, Francis said on Friday that the number of births is the number one indicator of people’s hope, stressing that without children and young people, the country is losing its desire for the future.

Italy’s birth rate is among the lowest in the world, steadily declining for nearly 15 years, reaching a record high last year with just 379,000 babies born.

With strong support from the Vatican, the right-wing government led by Georgia Meloni has led a campaign to encourage at least 500,000 births a year by 2033, with the aim of achieving a rate that experts consider necessary to prevent the economy from collapsing under the weight of an aging population.

Regarding the Pope’s remarks, Francis called for long-term strategies and policies to encourage couples to have children, by solving the problem of precarious employment contracts and barriers to buying homes, and ensuring that women are not forced to choose between motherhood and work.

“Our main problem in this world isn’t the birth of children, but selfishness, consumerism and individualism that leads to people feeling full, lonely and unhappy,” the pope added.

The pope is expected to focus heavily on demographics during the Holy Year 2025, which will place hope as his main theme.

In the 2025 jubilee decree issued Thursday, Francis called for a new social pact among Christians to encourage couples to be open to having children.