In 25 years, Italy will have 4 million fewer inhabitants than today. The population will be predominantly elderly, with one of every three individuals over the age of 65, and the average age will rise to 51 from 46.6 today. Families will become even smaller, with an average of only 2.03 members. This is the projection from Istat (National Institute of Statistics). But in this shift, the general outlines of which are well known and whose dynamics are regarded irreversible by demographers, one condition in particular requires the most attention because of its social implications: loneliness. Italy will be, above all, a country of lonely people, not unlike other developed countries, but with its own peculiar characteristics. Loneliness is a natural result of the dropping birth rate and aging population, as well as the shifting habits that define the demographic transition. Today, 4.6 million people over the age of 65 live alone; this figure is predicted to rise by an additional 2 million in the next 25 years. In contrast, the number of "families" will remain relatively consistent at approximately 26.7 million. However, in over 41% of instances, approximately 11 million individuals will be alone, as opposed to the current 9.7 million.