Istat Report

Italians abroad: the 2025 citizenship reform means fewer Italian births in Argentina and Brazil

The decline is mainly concentrated in the Americas (-55 per cent), and particularly in the central and southern parts of the continent (-59.7 per cent).

by Pietro Menzani

4 September 2026

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4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Owing to the new, stricter rules on citizenship by descent, the number of Italian births abroad plummeted in 2025. The decline was sharp: the figure fell from 26,000 recorded in 2024 to 16,000, a drop of 37.1 per cent. The decline was most pronounced in the Americas (-55 per cent), and particularly in the central and southern parts of the continent (-59.7 per cent). And given that deaths, by contrast, remained largely stable, the natural increase was a mere 3,000, compared with 13,000 the previous year. The result is a marked slowdown in the growth of the number of Italians living outside Italy’s borders. This is highlighted in a report by Istat published on 3 September.

The new citizenship rules

According to the Institute, another factor contributing to the sharp fall in births was ‘the new citizenship legislation, which came into force in 2025 and restricted the cases in which Italian citizenship is automatically passed on by descent (iure sanguinis) to children born abroad’.

The decree on citizenship was enacted as law in May 2025 and introduced restrictions on the application of the ius sanguinis principle. Specifically, it stipulates that the descendants of Italian citizens, if born abroad, will automatically obtain citizenship for only two generations, restricting this entitlement solely to those who have at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy.

The decline in births was particularly sharp in Central and South America. In Brazil and Argentina – countries which have historically been home to large Italian communities – a slump of 66.6 per cent and 55.8 per cent respectively was recorded in 2025. The reduction in Europe was also significant (-33.2 per cent), with particularly sharp declines in the United Kingdom (-44.2 per cent), Germany (-42.7 per cent) and Spain (-34.4 per cent). The declines recorded in Africa (-20.2 per cent), Asia (-16.6 per cent) and Oceania (-11.8 per cent), whilst still significant, were more moderate.

Natural dynamics

The number of Italians living abroad, therefore, increased in 2025, but at a slower rate than in the previous year: the figure rose from +4.6 per cent in 2024 to +2.8 per cent. Figures published by Istat show that the total, as at 31 December 2025, stood at 6 million 604 thousand, representing an increase of 183 thousand compared with the start of the year. Both the number of men – who make up 51.6 per cent of the Italian population abroad (3,406,000) – and the number of women – totalling 3,197,000 – have risen.

The slowdown in growth stems from the decline in the contribution of natural increase, due to a ‘particularly low’ birth rate amongst Italians living abroad, which stands at 2.5 per thousand – not even half that recorded in Italia proper (6 per thousand). Notable exceptions in this regard are Italians living in Asia (8.3 per thousand) and Africa (5.1 per thousand), although these regions account for only a small proportion of total births. The rate is significantly lower in Europe, where it stands at 3.5 per thousand. At a continental level, the highest figures are found in the Netherlands (4.8 per thousand) and Switzerland (4.2 per thousand). The figures for the Americas, partly due to an older age structure of the population, are significantly lower: 1 per thousand across the entire continent and 0.9 per thousand in Central and South America alone.

Deaths and mortality rate

The mortality rate abroad is also significantly lower than that recorded on the Italian mainland, standing at 2.1 per thousand – less than a fifth of the rate observed in Italia (11.1 per thousand). The marked differences observed across different regions are attributable to the demographic structure of the Italian communities residing on the various continents. Mortality is inevitably higher in European countries with a longer history of emigration, such as France (4.8 per thousand), Germany and Switzerland (both 4.2 per thousand), where the Italian population is older. In general, Europe has the highest rate, at 3.3 per thousand, followed by Africa (2.9 per thousand), Asia (1.6 per thousand), North America (1.0 per thousand) and Central and South America (0.5 per thousand). The lowest rate, on the other hand, is recorded in Oceania, at 0.4 per thousand.

Deaths amongst Italians living abroad are on the rise, albeit slightly, up by 2.4 per cent to a total of 13,000. The majority of these are concentrated in Europe (85.6 per cent). America follows with 11.2 per cent. The rise in deaths is particularly marked in Africa (+24.6 per cent), Asia (+19.0 per cent) and North America (+8.9 per cent). The increase is much more modest in Europe, at +3 per cent.

Number of expats on the decline

In 2025, there was a sharp fall in the number of people leaving the country: the figure stood at 109,000, 22.7 per cent lower than the previous year. According to Istat, the main reason for this is the exceptionally high number of registrations with the AIRE recorded in 2024 following the introduction of stricter rules: ‘The new legislation led to a sharp concentration of registrations in 2024, thereby amplifying the reduction observed when compared with 2025.’

Repatriations also fell, albeit to a lesser extent: there were around 56,000 (-3.4 per cent). The net migration figure therefore remains positive, standing at around 53,000, almost 30,000 fewer than in 2024.

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