"Italy will no longer have inhabitants if these trends continue". Word of Elon Musk , with reference to the very low birth rate that has characterized our country for years.

Tesla's owner magnate commented on Twitter on a graph on the Italian situation posted by analyst Andrea Stroppa , adding: "Population collapse is the greatest threat to civilization ."

A low birth rate also characterizes the United States and, in this regard, also on Twitter, Musk (who has seven children) underlined: “Contrary to what many think, the richer you are, the fewer you have children. I am a rare exception ”.

The post of the American billionaire naturally rekindled the debate on the low birth rate in Western countries. To begin with, precisely from Italy.

To give an idea of the situation, just think that in 2021 births in our country fell to an all-time low , with 399,400 children born during the year (-1.3% on 2020).

SARDINIA - Sardinia is no exception and, indeed, it is the Italian region "trailing behind" in terms of birth rate. In fact, the island has the negative record of births with an average of 0.99 children per woman and against a national average of 1.25. Not only that: Sardinia is also the region with the highest average age of women at the time of childbirth, 33 years against a national average of 32.4.
THE EXPERTS - How to get out? "According to the latest Istat data released in March, births in Italy fell for the first time below 400 thousand , marking a new all-time low", explains Filippo Maria Ubaldi , president of the Italian Society of Fertility and Sterility-Reproductive Medicine ( Sifes-Mr).

"What is needed - he adds - is a plan that provides for a wide range of aid to would-be parents and families , both from a social, economic, occupational and health point of view, widening access to public reproductive medicine services throughout the country".

THE CAUSES - "The stable job that arrives late, the increasing difficulties in building a solid existence . The data tell us that Italians have fewer and fewer children, more and more in years - underlines Ubaldi - and we know that the problem of infertility it increases with age. Medically assisted procreation centers in Italy have high standards, but not all couples who need to treat their infertility have the opportunity to access them ".

"The waiting lists - continues Ubaldi - are long, very long in many cases, and the choice of moving to other areas of Italy, or even abroad, is obligatory for many would-be parents. There is a need - concludes l 'expert - that the eye of the institutions is always vigilant towards this issue and that we move from words to action ".

(Unioneonline / lf)

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