Births in Italy hit record low in 2022, population shrinks further

FILE PHOTO: Newborn baby Leonardo rests on his mum Viviana Valente's arms, inside a room of the Santo Spirito Hospital in Rome, Italy, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo

(Reuters) - Births in Italy dropped to a new historic low below 400,000 in 2022, national statistics bureau ISTAT said on Friday, as the population continued to shrink.

Italy's dearth of babies is considered a national emergency, and fixing the problem was a prominent policy pledge by Giorgia Meloni ahead of last year's election which saw her become the country's first woman prime minister.