Plummeting birth rates: the case of the ‘1976 Generation’ – nearly one in four women have no children
Birth rates continue to fall: 355,000 in 2025, with a further decline expected in 2026
Key points
Among women born in 1976 – who have now turned 50 and have, for the most part, completed their childbearing years – 23 per cent have not had any children; thirty years ago, the figure was close to 10 per cent. This is one of the figures that best illustrates the changes in fertility in Italy, as revealed by the Istat report ‘Birth rates and fertility of the resident population’.
For women born in 1976, an average of 1.44 children per woman
Istat explains that this phenomenon “on the one hand reflects the challenges associated with having children, whilst on the other suggests the emergence of lifestyle choices that may involve alternatives to parenthood”. This choice is accompanied by a reduction in the number of children: the analysis shows that women born in 1947 had an average of 2.01 children; for those born in 1976, this figure falls to 1.44. The decline is particularly marked for children beyond the second (falling from 0.42 to 0.16). This trend has gone hand in hand with a rise in the average age at childbirth: in 1947, the average age at childbirth was 26.9 years, whilst the average age at the birth of the first child was 24.8. For women born in 1976, however, the average age at childbirth was 31.4 years, with the first child born on average at the age of 30.
Women with higher levels of education have children at a later age throughout Italia
This trend continues to this day: in 2025, the average age at childbirth was 32.7 years. Furthermore, there remains significant variation linked to educational attainment. Whilst a woman with lower secondary education has, on average, one child before the age of 30 (29.7), this rises to 32.5 years for women with upper secondary education, and to 34.9 for university graduates. The gap in fertility rates between women with a university degree and those with a lower secondary school qualification is evident across all geographical areas.
Birth rates continue to fall, with 355,000 in 2025 and a further decline in 2026
According to Istat figures, the number of births in Italia continues to fall. In 2025, there were 355,772 births, around 14,000 fewer than in 2024 (-3.8 per cent). The decline appears set to continue in 2026: between January and July, there were 196,864 births (-1.1% compared with 2025). The average number of children per woman is falling, reaching a new low in 2025: 1.14 (compared with 1.18 in 2024). The average age of mothers at the birth of their first child is 32, and 44.1 per cent are born out of wedlock. Sofia and Leonardo are the most popular names.
