The negative demographic dynamics weigh on the economic and social future of Calabria. This is the most relevant data that emerges from the analysis of the regional economy conducted by the Bank of Italy for 2023 and presented yesterday at Catanzaro.
Introduced by the director of the branch of the regional capital Marcello Mala Misura, the members of the economic research unit Antonio Covelli, Graziella Mendicino, Iconio Garrì and Enza Maltese, with the coordination of Giuseppe Albanese, illustrated the details of the usual investigation on the progress of the public and private economy in the region which shows a substantial slowdown in growth compared to 2022 (+0.6% compared to the previous +3.2%). A figure in line with Southern Italy, but lower than the national average.
From the Bank of Italy analysis of Istat data, Calabria lost 5.9% of its resident population between 2007 and 2022, much worse than in the rest of the country and the South. We read in the document: «In the period considered the birth rate decreased by approximately 2 units per thousand inhabitants, while the mortality rate increased by over 3. In 2022 the region had 12.4 deaths per thousand inhabitants compared to 7, 3 live births, respectively, 12.1 and 6.7 in Italy; part of these differences compared to the rest of the country depend on the different demographic structure”. In practice, an elderly population and youth emigration determine low birth rates and higher mortality, with negative effects in the future and on the birth and growth rate of new businesses as well.