Italy: average number of children born per woman 1950s-2017

The average number of children born per woman in Italy has significantly changed over the last 70 years. In the 1950s, the Italian female was usually a mother of more than two kids, whereas in 2017 women had about one child less than females living in the middle of the twentieth century. Overall, roughly 458 thousand infants were born in Italy in 2017.

Parenthood postponed to a later age

Along with the drop in the fertility rate, an increase of the average age of mothers at childbirth can be observed. In 2017, Italian women giving birth to a child were about four years older than mothers delivering in the 1970s.

Fertility rate in Italy the lowest in the European Union

With 1.34 children born per woman in 2016, Italy and Spain close the fertility rate ranking of the European Union countries. The first place on the podium was taken by France, where on average 1.92 children were born per female.