"On the social security front, the median scenario's estimates about life expectancy at 65 years predict a large increase in the retirement age under present legislation. Compared to the present 67 years, it would increase to 67 years and 3 months in 2027, 67 years and 6 months in 2029, and 67 years and 9 months in 2031, reaching 69 and 6 months in 2051". Professor Francesco Maria Chelli, president of the National Institute of Statistics, stated this during a hearing before the Joint Budget Committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on the 2025-2029 Medium-Term Budget Structural Plan. "Future prospects include an amplification of the imbalance between new and old generations, which appears to be driven more by the current age breakdown of the population than by the assumed demographic changes (evolution of fertility, mortality, and migration dynamics): the proportions are approximately two-thirds and one-third, respectively. According to the median scenario, individuals aged 65 and older will account for 27.7% of the total in 2031 (up from 24.4% in 2023 and 34.5% in 2050). The impact on social protection programs will thus be significant, as they must address the demands of a rising (and longer-lived) senior population", concluded National Institute of Statistics President Prof. Francesco Maria Chelli.