Raising children in Italy costs too much compared to the salaries we have

Speaking of Elon Musk's nefarious demographic forecasts of recent days, or the sharp debate on parenting that has been going on for some time in some Italian newspapers - where there is much discussion about the right to have or not have children but much less than that, in the first case, to raise them with dignity - there is perhaps an element that is too often forgotten. For the richest man in the world it is an understandable gap, for other commentators I would say much less. Having a child and raising him costs money. And the single check built and introduced by the latest governments, with its roots even in Renzi's one, is a lovely drop in the sea, the confession of how much the country does not rely in any way on support for parenthood and is condemning itself to decline. basically reversible with a paradigm shift in social policies.

Dear Elon Musk, we explain two things to you about why there are few children in Italy The founder of Tesla launches into disturbing prophecies about the national demographic decline, without questioning the social causes behind the collapse of the birth rate Moneyfarm, society international investment with a digital approach, has produced an interesting analysis according to which, based on the current cost of living, raising a child in Italy from 0 to 18 years involves an average cost of around 139,500 euros (over 7 thousand euros per year). The expenditure items put under the lens were over 150. Obviously, it starts well before the birth: it is necessary to set aside between 5,600 and 19,300 euros - based on the choices and solutions identified, the analysis segments by medium-range families and high - to prepare for birth. For example, all the health checks essential for a safe pregnancy and childbirth fall into that phase, from prenatal tests to the pre-birth course, but also an initial kit for the newborn, accessories such as pram, egg and stroller, cradle, the changing table and much more.

After the birth of a child, the parents are then called to face other expenses, the amount of which is destined to grow with the approach of adulthood and to vary significantly depending on the age: up to three years the cost is between 10 thousand and 25 thousand euros, between 4 and 5 between 10 thousand and 27 thousand euros, between 6 and 11 between 28 thousand and 48 thousand euros and between 12 and 18 between 45 thousand and 74 thousand euros.

Between the ages of 6 and 8, for example, among the heaviest items there are sports activities that can cost up to 6 thousand euros, the rates for the school canteen (up to over 2 thousand), summer (up to over 3 thousand), medical examinations (fork between 420 and 900 euros) and the most d various after-school activities (510-5,400 euros). For the 15-18 age group, on the other hand, you fly: sports activities can cost up to 8 thousand euros, 6 thousand language lessons, clothing (10 thousand) and then video games, holidays, pocket money, electronic devices, books school (1,164 euros), transport (600 euros) and so on. This is obviously an average and indicative analysis, not all children carry out all these activities or carry them out involving this financial commitment. But it provides an indicative picture of the commitment required of new parents.

Ultimately, according to this estimate by Moneyfarm, a total of between 96 thousand and 183 thousand euros can be spent to raise a child from 0 to 18 years old. How much does the financial concern really affect the choice of having a child and, in the end, the worrying decline in the fertility index and the increase in the birth rate. A trend, that of denatality, which began over ten years ago and which has continued steadily, with an average annual decline of 2.8% in the period 2009-20191, so much so that from the 1.44 children per woman in the period 2008-2010, the number of children increased to 1.24 in 2020, thanks to the effect of the pandemic. In 2021 there were 399 thousand newborns, below the 400 thousand threshold and in an epochal decrease of 31% compared to 2008.