Rome, Dec 17 (IANS): Italy's population continued to age in 2023, with a growing disproportion between older adults and children, the country's National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) stated.

The median age in the country had reached 46.6 years by December 31, 2023, marking a 0.2 per cent increase from 2022, according to the ISTAT's latest census report released on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Between 2022 and 2023, the share of people aged 0-14 fell to 12.2 per cent from 12.4 per cent. The proportion of those aged 15-64 remained at 63.5 per cent, while the percentage of individuals over 65 years old rose to 24.3 per cent from 24 per cent.

ISTAT emphasised the aging trend by comparing the ratio of people aged 65 and older to children under six: "In 2023, there were 5.8 elderly people for every child at the national level." This ratio was up from 5.6 in 2022, and significantly higher from 3.8 in 2011.

The country's population declined by approximately 26,000 people (or 0.4 per 1000) to 58.9 million by the end of 2023, ISTAT reported. Meanwhile, the number of non-Italian residents grew by 21.8 per 1000, raising their share of the total population to 8.9 per cent from 8.7 per cent in 2022.

At the European Union (EU) level, Italy was the oldest among the 27 member states in 2023, according to previous statistics by Eurostat.

As of January 1, 2024, the EU's overall population increased by over 1.6 million, reaching an estimated 449.2 million people. However, the growth was uneven, Eurostat noted, indicating population increases in 20 EU countries and declining in another seven, including Italy, Greece, and Poland.