ABSTRACT
The number of children younger than 5 years has greatly declined in Europe, from 57 million in 1960 to 35 million in 2007. In Italy, there were 4.5 million children younger than 5 years in 1965-this number declined gradually to 4.3 million in 1975, 3.5 million in 1985, and 2.3 millions in 2007. In terms of percentage of total population, this represents a drop from 9% in 1965 to 4.3% in 2007. The life expectancy has reached 81 years for women and 75 to 76 years for men in the industrialized world; these are higher in Japan and much lower in Russia. The life expectancy will continue to increase: a woman who was 50 years of age in 2002 is expected to live, on the average, an additional 35 years. These are dramatic changes with important social, economic, and political consequences that will certainly trigger the intervention of national governments and even governments of national unions, such as the European Union.
