Recenti sviluppi della fecondità per coorti in Italia. Recent developments in cohort fertility in Italian regions.

Italian fertility has always been characterized by significant regional differences. In this paper, using a cohort approach, the Total Cohort Fertility Rate is estimated for the Italian regions for cohorts born in 1956-1967, using data recently published by the Italian National Statistics Institute for 1999-2004. These data make possible to extend the analysis to the cohorts born in the ’70 and in early ‘80. Results show that the decline of fertility seems to slow, or even to stop, in the northern and central regions of Italy for the cohorts born in the second half of ’70. However, in the southern regions signs of fertility recover are not yet visible.