The population is aging "faster than expected just ten years ago," and Italy is one of the countries where this demographic transition "has already begun and will become more pronounced", with major economic ramifications. This was said by a Bankitalia representative at a parliamentary hearing. The resident population in Italy has been declining since 2015, and the trend is expected to continue: with the continued decline in births and the aging of the population, the number of people of working age, between 15 and 64 years old, will fall below 30 million. This means that for every ten working-age people, there will be eight children and elderly, compared to six today.  This drop in the working-age population will reduce labor input and, consequently, GDP by 0.9% annually over the next 25 years. Without an increase in the participation rate of women and young people in the Italian labor market, GDP will shrink by about 9% between now and 2050, or 1.6% per capita. However, Italy still has significant space for improvement, as its participation rate in 2024 was the lowest in the EU.