Italy’s population stops shrinking after 12 years, thanks to migration

Italy’s population has stabilised after 12 years of decline, with immigration almost entirely offsetting a shrinking number of births, while life expectancy continues to rise, national statistics agency ISTAT said on Tuesday.

Preliminary data showed the resident population stood at 58.94 million on January 1 this year, virtually unchanged from a year earlier, ISTAT said in its annual demographic report.

“Italy remains a country where only very positive net migration can offset...