Italy has its own set of problems with huge debt loads, soaring unemployment, and a growing social revolt against the new normal austerity status quo but there is one issue that is not discussed much in the mainstream media that is as critical. Italy has the second fastest aging population in the world (and highest in Europe). Japan is the worst/fastest based on Bloomberg Brief [7] rankings - driven by factors such as the speed of aging in one generation, concentration of seniors, the pipeline of elderly, and the number of seniors not participating in the labor force. As Niraj Shah notes, nine European nations make the world Top 10. Doesn't exactly bode well for Europe's future as dependency ratios are set to soar but it appears, sadly, that Italy is closer to Japan's dismal quagmire than Spain's based on demographics.
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Chart: Bloomberg Briefs