Skip to content
World Health Systems Facts

Italy: Aging

Italy: Aging

Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Outcomes
Health System Coverage
Costs for Consumers
Health System Expenditures
Italy’s COVID-19 Policy

Health System Financing
Health System Personnel
Health System Physical Resources and Utilization
Long-Term Care
Health Information and Communications Technologies
Medical Training
Pharmaceuticals

Political System
Economic System
Population Demographics
People With Disabilities
Aging
Social Determinants & Health Equity
Health System History
Health System Challenges


Population, Mid-Year 2019: 60,550,000
Projected Population Mid-Year 2030: 59,031,000
Percentage of Population Under Age 25 Years, Mid-Year 2019: 23%
Percentage of Population 65 Years Or Over, Mid-Year 2019: 23%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER.A/424).


Percent of Adults Aged 65 Years and Over Reporting To Be In Fair, Poor, or Very Poor Health (2019): 60.2%
People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population (2021): 23.7%
Projected Number of People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population in 2050: 42.7%
Long-Term Care Workers Per 100 People Aged 65 And Over (2019): 4
Long-Term Care Beds In Institutions and Hospitals Per 1,000 Population Aged 65 And Over (2019): 19.4
Long-Term Care Expenditure as a Share of GDP (%) (2019): 0.9%

Source: OECD (2021), Health at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ae3016b9-en.


“In this century, aging is a major challenge facing developed countries. As of January 1, 2015, with 21.4% of residents aged ≥65, and 6.4% aged ≥80 years, Italy has the largest proportion of elderly population in Europe (Eurostat http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database). Similar to most European countries, the pattern of this process is mainly linked to the fertility fluctuation which occurred during the second half of the 20th century: the baby boom cohort (born between 1945 and 1964) is progressively reaching the old age, and it will continue up to the 2030s, whereas the baby bust cohort (born between the early 1960s and 1975) now constitutes the bulk of the working age population. This circumstance will lead to a top-heavy age structure, and is expected to last about 30 years, after which the thinnest years at the end of the baby bust generation will enter old age (Italian National Institute of Statistics [ISTAT], 2011; Reher, 2015; Figure 1).

“Other factors such as survival expectancy and international migration also affect age structure. On the one hand, the ongoing reduction of mortality at all ages has increasingly involved the elderly, shifting forward the limit of life duration (Barbie & Caselli, 2009). On the other hand, the positive net migration flows experienced during the last 30 years have mitigated the process, by both sustaining the active age population and by positively influencing fertility levels (Billari & Dalla-Zuanna, 2013). However, based on projected data, an extra contribution by the immigrants to the cohort entering old age will be observed as early as 2019 (Blangiardo & Rimoldi, 2013). This older group will progressively increase until 2054, when it will reach around 250,000 individuals.”

Source: Paolo Mazzola, MD, Stefania Maria Lorenza Rimoldi, MD, Paolo Rossi, PhD, Marianna Noale, MSc, Federico Rea, BSc, Carla Facchini, PhD, Stefania Maggi, MD, Giovanni Corrao, PhD, Giorgio Annoni, MD, Aging in Italy: The Need for New Welfare Strategies in an Old Country, The Gerontologist, Volume 56, Issue 3, June 2016, Pages 383–390, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnv152


“The demographic evolution of the Italian population and the increase of average age have raised the issue of “non-self-sufficiency” experienced by a growing number of people (Comas-Herrera et al., 2006). This phenomenon brought the necessity to create policies for long-term care, because many families face issues in reconciling the time accorded to caregiving needs with the working commitments. A further emerging issue is the implementation of the intermediate care, that is, strategies (facilities, multidisciplinary teams) that complement social care with health care interventions or rehabilitation procedures, in order to provide comprehensive services to the elderly with disabling conditions that have arisen. The ultimate goal of intermediate care is to maintain the seniors’ residual autonomy, allowing them to live at home. However, in Italy, these two forms of assistance are provided by two well-separated entities (the municipalities and the NHS), both in terms of responsibilities and budget. Because of this strict separation and of difficulties in optimizing collaboration, intermediate care realities actually implemented and effectively oriented toward the quality of life of the elderly are still sparse. Additionally, specific policies for the nonself-sufficient elderly are still lacking. For these reasons, a large number of families privately employed eldercare assistants (known as badanti, literally “those involved in the surveillance and care”). Most badanti are women coming from abroad (mainly countries of Eastern Europe), typically hired without a regular job contract, meaning they are not registered workers and do not pay taxes (Da Roit, 2011; Degiuli, 2007). For this reason, the employment of a badante is generally cheaper than transferring a senior to a residential care facility. The use of badanti has effectively bridged the absence of homecare services provided by public health care system, even if it is possible to argue that the State de-facto fostered their diffusion by not implementing systematic control measures on their working conditions.”

Source: Paolo Mazzola, MD, Stefania Maria Lorenza Rimoldi, MD, Paolo Rossi, PhD, Marianna Noale, MSc, Federico Rea, BSc, Carla Facchini, PhD, Stefania Maggi, MD, Giovanni Corrao, PhD, Giorgio Annoni, MD, Aging in Italy: The Need for New Welfare Strategies in an Old Country, The Gerontologist, Volume 56, Issue 3, June 2016, Pages 383–390, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnv152


Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.


Page last updated Sept. 19, 2022 by Doug McVay, Editor.

  • Home
  • About Health Systems Facts
    • Contact Us
    • Join Our Email List
  • Breaking News & Opinion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Seventeen National Health Systems
    • Austria
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • France
    • Germany
    • Hungary
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Netherlands
    • South Korea
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • Comparing National Health Systems
    • Healthcare Access and Quality Index
    • Sustainable Development Goals Health Index
    • Mirror Mirror 2021
    • World Health Report 2000
    • International Health Systems In Perspective
    • Lessons for US Health Reform
  • Aging
  • Health System Outcomes
  • Healthcare Spending
  • Healthcare Workers
    • Health System Personnel
    • Health Workforce Training
  • Information and Communications Technologies
  • Long-Term Services and Supports
  • People With Disabilities
  • Pharmaceutical Pricing and Regulation
  • Social Determinants Of Health
  • Wasteful Spending
  • Various US Health System Proposals
    • Affordable Care Act
    • All Payer
    • Public Option
    • Single Payer / “Medicare For All”
    • Universal Health Coverage
  • Recommended Resources
  • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

© 2019-2022 Real Reporting Foundation | Theme by WordPress Theme Detector

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
_GRECAPTCHA5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Google. In addition to certain standard Google cookies, reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_UA-71314304-21 minuteThis is a pattern type cookie set by Google Analytics, where the pattern element on the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. It appears to be a variation of the _gat cookie which is used to limit the amount of data recorded by Google on high traffic volume websites.
_gcl_au3 monthsThis cookie is used by Google Analytics to understand user interaction with the website.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo