Istat beats Italy: "An aging country and leaving women, young people and migrants on the margins"

A divided countrywho continues to age and leaves on the margins women, young people and migrants, in which the economy resists shocks but grows less than France and Spain, struggling to make a change of pace. In the year in which theState celebrates its centenary, the institute’s annual report photographs aItalia which still suffers from “structural critical issues” linked to the weakness of productivity and “delays” in investments in innovation, digitalisation and sustainability, in which non-inclusive employment, gender inequalities and family burdens still represent a factor that fuels gaps in social and economic opportunities.

The marked demographic aging is determined by the persistent decline in births, fueled by the lower propensity to have children, but also by the reduction of generations of reproductive age. With a lower number of births than deaths, the natural balance in 2025 continues to be negative and the overall population remains stable thanks to a positive migratory balance that offsets that of the natural dynamics. The number of childless people and only children is increasing, while the number of couples with children continues to decrease.

“Over the last year, the Italian economy has shown signs of resilience in a complex global scenario, marked by geopolitical tensions and persistent uncertainty. Growth potential remains constrained by long-term critical issues, including the modest trend in productivity, which could benefit from a greater intensity of knowledge of production processes”, underlined the president of Istat, Francesco Maria Chelli, submitting the report. One of the “key challenges”, he warned, “will be played, moreover, on the ability to enhance the human capital that we have and will be able to have”.

The report highlights how greater investments in education, digital skills and innovation represent “an essential condition” for maintaining employment levels, improving salary conditions and, more generally, collective well-being, in a social context marked by “vulnerabilities” that persist over time. In 2025 in Italy there are still 11 million individuals at risk of poverty, equal to 18.6 percent of the total population. A figure which “although stable” compared to 2024 confirms “the persistence of a large and structural area of ​​economic vulnerability within the country”. And the number of families who cannot afford energy costs and cannot afford an adequate meal is growing.

Tra i millennial, the share of people experiencing downward social mobility (27.1 percent) exceeds that recorded in all previous generations and, at the same time, upwards (25.1 percent), marking a discontinuity compared to the trajectories experienced in the past. Social origins continue to influence employment opportunities, although in the long term a gradual reduction in social heredity is observed, in line with what has been recorded in other European countries.

The Italian labor market continues the “expansion phase” characterized by an increase in stable employment and a reduction in unemployment, but it still presents “significant gender gaps” and the employment rate remains below the European average. Wages are growing but not keeping pace with inflation and gap to be made up remains “wide”. Vulnerable workers (temporary and/or involuntary part-time workers) will number over 4 million in 2025, “in progressive reduction” and represent 17 percent of the total employed (it was 22.3 percent in 2019).

The share of not busy who finds work is equal to 5.9 percent (it was 12.3 percent between 2021 and 2022) and in the majority of cases (over 67 percent) it is a vulnerable job. The condition of young people (15-34 years) remains delicate, with an employment rate in 2025 lower than the EU average (43.9 against 58.1 percent), even among 25-34 year olds with graduates (68.5 against an EU average of 79.6 percent). The NEET phenomenon involves 13.3 percent of young people between 15 and 29 years old, a value almost halved compared to 2015, when it was 25.7 percent, but the highest share is observed in the South (20.2 percent).

Furthermore, despite the progressive growth of those employed in qualified professions, Italy suffers “a delay” compared to other European countries in terms of resources in scientific-technological professions and under-use of skills. 23.7 percent of employed graduates aged 25-34 carry out medium or low qualification professions, a value higher than the EU average. Digital skills are also still distributed unequally, with territorial and generational gaps. In 2025, the use of artificial intelligence concerns only 19.9% ​​of 16-74 year olds, placing Italy in penultimate place in the European ranking (against the EU 27 average at 32.7%). Even among young people aged 16-24, the gap compared to the European average remains large (47.2 versus 63.8%). And the intensive use of social media, especially among younger people, presents problematic aspects that reflect on psychological well-being, with signs of greater vulnerability among girls.