Image Credentials: Image Title: 🇮🇹 Demographic Meltdown Forces Anti-Immigration Government to Seek Migrants Source: (Gemini) Date: December 2025. Attribution: This image was created using AI-generated imagery (Gemini) and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies
ROME, ITALY – Italy’s radical right-wing government, which campaigned heavily on an anti-immigration platform, is now facing a profound paradox: the country desperately needs millions of immigrants to sustain its labor market and prevent its pension system from collapsing.
A study from Italy’s Public Accounts Observatory underscores the urgency of the nation’s demographic crisis. Fueled by a rapidly aging population, a plunging birth rate, and the growing emigration of young Italians, the crisis threatens to undermine public services and the national economy.
The Alarming Numbers
Italy is currently the second most aged country in the world (behind Japan) and the most aged in the European Union, with an average age of 48.7 years. A quarter of the population is over 65, and there are now two people above that age for every person under 15.
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Births at Historic Lows: Last year, only 370,000 births were recorded, a stark contrast to over one million in 1964. The fertility rate sits at just 1.18 children per woman.
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Brain Drain: The “flight of brains” is accelerating, with more than 190,000 people leaving the country in 2024—the highest emigration rate in 25 years. Young graduates account for nearly half of recent emigrants, and a recent survey showed that one-third of Italian youth wish to emigrate.
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Future Collapse: The Observatory’s research warns that without intervention, the country risks having fewer inhabitants in 2100 than it did after national unification in 1861, making it impossible to support the pension, health, and education systems.
Economists involved in the study believe that without immigrants, Italy will lose over 10 million inhabitants every 25 years, falling below 50 million by 2050 and under 30 million by 2100.
A Political Paradox
The current coalition government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Brothers of Italy, a post-fascist party) along with the League (far-right) and Forza Italia (right), rose to power largely on a platform of tough anti-immigration rhetoric and policy aimed at fighting illegal arrivals and tightening regulations.
Yet, reality has forced a dramatic shift:
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Need for 10 Million Migrants: The Public Accounts Observatory estimates that to combat depopulation and maintain current population levels, Italy requires at least 10 million immigrants over the next 25 years, up to 2050.
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Labor Force Imbalance: Other studies suggest that to keep the active working population (ages 20-67) stable, a necessity for the social security system, Italy needs 350,000 net immigrants per year until 2035, rising to 480,000 per year until 2050. Without this influx, the percentage of workers in the total population is projected to fall from 62% in 2023 to an unsustainable 49% in 2100.
Policy Shift
Recognizing the “implacable numbers,” Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti admitted the seriousness of the situation to Parliament this year.
In a policy move that sharply contrasts with the government’s rhetoric, the Meloni administration announced in June that it will issue around 500,000 new work visas for non-EU citizens for the 2026-2028 period. Furthermore, a new law was passed in November allowing descendants of Italians in seven countries (including Brazil, Argentina, and the US) to obtain work visas without numerical limitations.
Despite their continued hardline stance on illegal migration, the government’s actions confirm the conclusion of analysts: without a structured migratory plan, Italy cannot support the demographic transition already underway.