Italy's resident population, which currently stands at about 59 million, is expected to decline to 54.7 million by 2050, according to Istat projections released on Monday.
    The national statistics agency added that the number of people of working age, between 15 and 64, is expected to drop by 7.7 million, from 37.4 million now to 29.7 million in 2050, taking the share of the population in this age group down to 54.3% from 63.5% By the same year, the share of the elderly aged 65 and older will rise to 34.6% from 24.3% and the share of children aged up to 14 years will drop by one percentage point to 11.2% A "further increase in survival, low birth rate and family transformations confirm an ongoing change in population structure that will result in a self-reinforcing aging process, despite the positive contribution of foreign migration," Istat said.
    The agency said that in 2050 one in five households will be composed of a couple with children, compared to three in 10 today, while 41.1% of households will consist of lone individuals (36.8% today).

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