For years, the population structure has been subject to an increasingly serious imbalance as a result of the usual Italian combination of increased longevity and consistently low fertility. This is stated by Istat in its report on resident population and family forecasts. Today, Italy - firmly positioned on the international aging podium - displays the following articulation by age: 12.7% of people are under the age of 14; 63.5% are between the ages of 15 and 64; and 23.8% are 65 and older. At the same time, the average age of the population has climbed to 46.2%, making it one of the few countries in the world (together with Spain and Greece in Europe and South Korea and Japan in Asia) studied by demographers and economics and sustainable development experts. Future prospects imply an acceleration of this process, governed more by the current age structure of the population than by assumed changes in the evolution of fertility, mortality, and migration dynamics, based on an importance ratio of roughly two-thirds and one-third, respectively. According to the median scenario, individuals aged 65 and up could account for 34.5% of the total in 2050, while the 90% confidence range has a minimum of 33.2% and a high of 35.8%. Whatever happens, the impact on social protection programs will be enormous, as the population of older people grows.
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