Italy

«The Economist», 13 febbraio 1937, p. 358

FALLING BIRTH RATE. – Turin, January 30. – The number of Italians living in Italy, which incrased from 37,947,000 in December, 1921, to 41,176,671 on April 21, 1931, reached 42,528,000 on April 21, 1936 (the census date). It was estimated at 42,764,000 at the end of 1936. Disregarding territorial changes, marriages, births, deaths and the excess of births over deaths (per 1,000 inhabitants) changed as follows:

The encouragements which have been given to new and large families have not been able to arrest the decline in births; the increase of population is due to improved sanitary conditions and consequent lower mortality. The natural increase in population was lowest in the north; in Piedmont there was an excess of births over deaths of only 0.7 per 1,000 inhabitants. The increase was largest in the south (Calabria 16.8, Lucania 15.2, Sardinia 14.5 per 1,000).

THE GROWTH OF ROME. – Internal emigration was highest from agricultural areas. In the Venetian provinces there was an excess of 43,932 emigrants over immigrants, in Marche of 5,497, in Abruzzi of 6,142, in Puglie of 6,479, in Calabria of 9,300, in Sicily of 27,883, and in Sardinia of 12,774. The greater part of the rural migrants moved into the industrial and trading regions: Piedmont had a surplus of 2,073 immigrants over emigrants, Liguria of 10,264 and Lombardy of 12,937. The largest quota went to Latium. The capital city took over 30,142. This is a highly significant index of the movement towards centralisation which is taking place in Italy. Rome has fast become the largest city in Italy. In 1935 and 1936 the excess of immigrants over emigrants in Rome was 34,915 and 34,331 respectively; 28,535 and 33,604 in Milan; 20,380 and 15,104 in Turin; 6,040 and 8,534 in Naples; 8,185 and 6,920 in Genoa; and 9,625 and 9,829 in Bologna. At the end of 1936 Rome reached a peak of 1,198,023 inhabitants; the population of Milan was 1,130,142, of Naples 886,952, of Turin 642,179, and of Genoa 631,202. The growth of the Corporative State has tended to make Rome, not only the political capital but also the real centre of all the banking, industrial and trading interests of the country. Economic life depends more and more on decisions taken in the capital, and the capital is therefore bound to grow relatively bigger and bigger.