By Philippe LeroyBeaulieu

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's demographic crisis deepened in 2024 as the number of births hit a new record low, emigration accelerated and the population continued to shrink, national statistics bureau ISTAT said on Monday.

Italy's ever-falling birth rate is considered a national emergency, but despite Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her predecessors pledging to make it a priority, none have so far been able to halt the drop.

There were some 281,000 more deaths than births in 2024 and the population fell by 37,000 to 58.93 million, continuing a decade-long trend.

Since 2014, Italy's population has shrunk by almost 1.9 million, more than the inhabitants of Milan, its second-largest city, or of the region of Calabria in the country's southern toe.

The 370,000 babies born in 2024 marked the 16th consecutive annual decline and was the lowest figure since the country's unification in 1861.

It was down 2.6% from 2023, ISTAT said, and 35.8% lower than in 2008 - the last year Italy saw an increase in the number of babies born.

The fertility rate, measuring the average number of children born to each woman of child-bearing age, also fell to a record low of 1.18, far below the 2.1 needed for a steady population.

The previous record low in the fertility rate was 1.19 children per woman recorded in 1995.

The 651,000 deaths registered in 2024 were the lowest since 2019, bringing the number back into line with levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Average life expectancy jumped to 83.4 years, up almost five months from 2023.

The 191,000 Italians who moved abroad last year was officially the highest number this century, spiking more than 20% from the year before, though ISTAT said a regulatory change was probably a key factor in the data.

A new law introduced last year imposed fines on Italians living abroad who failed to formally register as expatriates in their new country of residence.

Foreigners made up 9.2% of the country's population in 2024, for a total of 5.4 million, up 3.2% year-on-year, with the majority living in the north of the country.

Underscoring Italy's rapidly ageing population, ISTAT said almost one in four residents were above the age of 65, while the number of centenarians hit a new high of 23,500.

(Reporting by Philippe Leroy Beaulieu, additional reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Gavin Jones and William Maclean)