Hundreds of Italian towns and villages had no baby births in 2023, contributing to a dramatic decline in the population that could threaten the country’s future.

Zero births were registered in 358 villages and towns in 2023 – compared with zero births in 328 communities five years previously, according to Istat, the country’s national statistics institute.

Birth rates in Italy have been falling for years but the problem is particularly acute in small, often isolated communities where the population is ageing and there are no longer couples of childbearing age.