In 2024 alone, over 9,000 residents of Tuscany – most of them under 30 – emigrated abroad from a population of approximately 3.6 million, and whilst it is often assumed that the people moving away are among the most educated and qualified who are seeking greater opportunities, this is not necessarily the case. According to Firenze Dintorini, this increasing level of migration is becoming more common amongst less qualified workers who also are seeking out opportunities beyond Italy.
Whilst this emigration is not restricted to a single demographic based on education, it is still primarily being carried out by young people. La Nazione reports that over the last ten years, the youth population in Tuscany has decreased by more than 10,000. The only two provinces with a rising population of people aged between 15 and 24 over this period are Florence and Prato, as opposed to the rest of the region’s steep decline.
These numbers have not been improving either, with the 9000 having left Tuscany in 2024 being a significant increase from the 5,054 who departed in 2015.
These emigration statistics in Tuscany are reflective of the current trends in Italy regarding population decline. Italy’s birth rates reached an all-time low in 2024, marking the 16th year of decline, and this issue has already been declared a National Emergency by the government. This combination of fewer births and youth emigration is resulting in an imbalanced population of older people without enough young people to assist them and fuel the economy. This imbalance is predicted to get worse over the next years, with young people continuing to have no incentive to have children, or even stay in Italy.
Tuscany has been attempting to tackle this issue, for example with their ‘Bando residenzialità in montagna 2024’ initiative, offering grants to people willing to move and settle in rural villages in the region. This issue continues to prevail, however, and many believe that if these levels of mass emigration are to be resolved, far more extensive change must be carried out throughout the country. Italy has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in Europe, as well as being one of the few OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries in which real wages have decreased since 2019. These employment and financial concerns contribute significantly to the decision made by young people to leave not only Tuscany, but Italy entirely.
If some change is happens regarding these issues, the wish is that more young people will desire to remain in the stunning and historic region of Tuscany. (scarlet clayton-jones)
