Italian women are having dramatically fewer babies than ever during the pandemic, accentuating one of the world's lowest birth rates. 

The low birth rate has prompted warnings that the country is set to lose a fifth of its population over the next 50 years.    

The month of January 2021, 10 months after Italy's draconian lockdown, marked the lowest birth rate ever - a 13.6 per cent decline over the same month a year earlier, translating to nearly 5,000 fewer births.

The country also saw significant drops in November and December 2020, meaning there was 'little doubt about the role of the pandemic' and that the trend appeared to be lasting, said the Italian statistics agency ISTAT in a new report.   

In just over a decade, births have dropped by one third in Italy, with 404,892 babies born in 2020 from 576,659 in 2008. Almost all of the decline is attributed to families with two Italian parents.

Gian Carlo Bliangiardo, the President of Istat, said the latest decline in birth rate could not be blamed entirely on the pandemic - though the steepest drop came about nine months after the 2020 lockdown. 

'We are in a period of emergency that has lasted a long time and that has made many couples think: 'Let's wait',' Bliangiardo told The Times, adding that scores of weddings had been postponed, which had impacted the birth rate as three quarters of Italians have children within marriage. 

Istat also predicts that Italy could lose a fifth of its population over the next 50 years. The country's population, which was recorded as 59.6 million in January 2020, could decline to 47.6 million in 2070 - marking a 20 per cent decline.