Malta is the most densely populated country in the EU and one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with about 1,265 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,280 inhabitants/sq mi). This compares with about 32 per square kilometre (85 per square mile) for the United States. A census (held every 10 years) was held in November 2005.
Inhabited since prehistoric times, Malta was first colonized by Sicilians. Subsequently, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs in 870 AD[3] who may have completely depopulated the islands[4] but in 1224 were themselves expelled from Malta,[5]Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, French and the British have influenced Maltese life and culture to varying degrees.
Roman Catholicism is established by law as the religion of Malta with 98%; however, full liberty of conscience and freedom of worship is guaranteed, and a number of faiths have places of worship on the island (rather small groups, a combined total of 2% of the people are Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, Muslims and Jews).
Malta has two official languages--Maltese (a Semitic language derived from Siculo-Arabic and heavily influenced by Sicilian and Italian), and English, which includes a local dialect, Maltese English. Both languages are compulsory subjects in Maltese primary and secondary schools. A large portion of the population is also fluent in Italian, which was, until 1936, the national language of Malta. The literacy rate has reached 93%, compared to 63% in 1946. Schooling is compulsory until age 16.
Age distribution
Since 2000, the shift in the age composition towards an older population continued to materialise. In fact, the average age of the Maltese population increased from 38.5 in 2005 to 40.5 in 2011. This resulted from the increase in the number of persons aged 55 and over, together with a decrease in the number of persons under 25 years of age. The average in Gozo and Comino (41.6 years) was higher than that observed for Malta.
Persons aged 65 and over more represent 16.3% of the total population in 2011, compared to 13.7% in 2005. In contrast, persons aged 14 and under make up 14.8% of the population in 2011, compared to 17.2% in 2005.[6]
Migrant background and foreign nationality
Foreign nationals in Malta
As of 2016 and 2017, the numbers of selected groups of resident foreign nationals (non-naturalized residents) in Malta were as follows:
This list does not include foreign nationals who acquired Maltese nationality and foreign nationals without resident status.
Malta has long been a country of emigration, with big Maltese communities in English-speaking countries abroad.
Mass emigration picked up in the 19th century, reaching its peak in the decades after World War II.
In the nineteenth century, most migration from Malta was to North Africa and the Middle East (particularly Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt), although rates of return migration to Malta were high.[10] Nonetheless, Maltese communities formed in these regions. By 1900, for example, British consular estimates suggest that there were 15,326 Maltese in Tunisia.[11]
There is little trace left of the Maltese communities in North Africa, most of them having been displaced, after the rise of independence movements, to places like Marseille, the United Kingdom or Australia.
After World War II, Malta's Emigration Department would assist emigrants with the cost of their travel. Between 1948 and 1967, 30 per cent of the population emigrated.[10] Between 1946 and the late 1970s, over 140,000 people left Malta on the assisted passage scheme, with 57.6 per cent migrating to Australia, 22 per cent to the UK, 13 per cent to Canada and 7 per cent to the United States.[12] (See also Maltese Australians; Maltese people in the United Kingdom)
Emigration dropped dramatically after the mid-1970s and has since ceased to be a social phenomenon of significance. However, since Malta joined the EU in 2004 expatriate communities emerged in a number of European countries particularly in Belgium and Luxembourg. At the same time, Malta is becoming more and more attractive for communities of immigrants, both from Western and Northern Europe (Italians, British) and from Eastern Europe (Serbians).
Most of the foreign community in Malta, predominantly active or retired British nationals and their dependents, is centred on Sliema and surrounding modern suburbs. Other smaller foreign groups include Italians, French, and Lebanese, many of whom have assimilated into the Maltese nation over the decades.[14]
Since the late 20th century, Malta has become a transit country for migration routes from Africa towards Europe.[15]
As a member of the European Union and of the Schengen agreement, Malta is bound by the Dublin Regulation to process all claims for asylum by those asylum seekers that enter EU territory for the first time in Malta.[16]
Irregular migrants (formal Maltese: immigranti irregolari, informal: klandestini) who land in Malta are subject to a compulsory detention policy, being held in several camps organised by the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM), including those near Ħal Far and Ħal Safi. The compulsory detention policy has been denounced by several NGOs, and in July 2010, the European Court of Human Rights found that Malta's detention of migrants was arbitrary, lacking in adequate procedures to challenge detention, and in breach of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.[17][18]
Very few migrants arrived in Malta in 2015, despite the fact that the rest Europe was experiencing a migrant crisis. Most migrants who were rescued between Libya and Malta were taken to Italy, and some refused to be brought to Malta.[19]
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Languages:Maltese (official de facto), English (official de jure), Italian (widely understood)
Vital statistics
Statistics from United Nations[20]and National Statistics Office Malta[21]
Average population
Live births
Deaths
Natural change
Crude birth rate (per 1000)
Crude death rate (per 1000)
Natural change (per 1000)
Fertility rate
1932
246,000
8,000
5,150
2,850
32.5
20.9
11.6
1933
250,000
8,300
5,100
3,200
33.2
20.4
12.8
1934
254,000
8,544
5,702
2,842
33.6
22.4
11.2
1935
256,000
8,701
6,018
2,683
34.0
23.5
10.5
1936
259,000
8,875
4,617
4,258
34.3
17.8
16.4
1937
263,000
8,879
5,304
3,575
33.8
20.2
13.6
1938
267,000
8,704
5,399
3,305
32.6
20.2
12.4
1939
269,000
8,930
5,385
3,545
33.2
20.0
13.2
1940
270,000
8,808
6,144
2,664
32.6
22.8
9.9
1941
271,000
7,352
6,444
908
27.1
23.8
3.4
1942
270,000
6,768
8,603
-1,835
25.1
31.9
-6.8
1943
271,000
8,452
5,578
2,874
31.2
20.6
10.6
1944
276,000
10,963
3,700
7,263
39.7
13.4
26.3
1945
283,000
10,998
4,016
6,982
38.9
14.2
24.7
1946
291,000
11,304
4,050
7,254
38.8
13.9
24.9
1947
300,000
11,612
3,838
7,774
38.7
12.8
25.9
1948
306,000
11,029
3,737
7,292
36.0
12.2
23.8
1949
311,000
10,590
3,326
7,264
34.1
10.7
23.4
1950
312,000
10,281
3,224
7,057
33.0
10.3
22.6
1951
313,000
9,511
3,476
6,035
30.4
11.1
19.3
1952
317,000
9,226
3,365
5,861
29.1
10.6
18.5
1953
317,000
8,977
2,848
6,129
28.3
9.0
19.3
1954
320,000
8,991
3,071
5,920
28.1
9.6
18.5
1955
314,000
8,560
2,683
5,877
27.3
8.5
18.7
1956
314,000
8,418
2,918
5,500
26.8
9.3
17.5
1957
319,000
8,794
2,955
5,839
27.6
9.3
18.3
1958
322,000
8,528
2,657
5,871
26.5
8.3
18.2
1959
325,000
8,499
2,836
5,663
26.2
8.7
17.4
1960
327,200
8,565
2,819
5,746
26.2
8.6
17.6
1961
325,900
7,674
2,937
4,737
23.6
9.0
14.6
1962
324,600
7,513
2,840
4,673
23.2
8.8
14.4
1963
323,200
6,672
2,981
3,691
20.7
9.2
11.4
1964
321,900
6,394
2,756
3,638
19.9
8.6
11.3
1965
320,600
5,628
3,001
2,627
17.7
9.4
8.2
1966
317,000
5,340
2,865
2,475
16.9
9.1
7.9
1967
313,400
5,309
2,985
2,324
17.0
9.6
7.5
1968
309,700
5,143
2,883
2,260
16.7
9.4
7.3
1969
306,100
5,096
3,024
2,072
16.7
9.9
6.8
1970
302,500
5,314
3,070
2,244
17.6
10.1
7.4
1971
302,800
5,562
3,090
2,472
18.4
10.2
8.2
1972
302,600
5,385
2,891
2,494
17.8
9.6
8.2
1973
302,300
5,272
2,935
2,337
17.4
9.7
7.7
1974
302,100
5,440
2,747
2,693
18.0
9.1
8.9
1975
301,892
5,724
2,900
2,824
18.8
9.5
9.3
1976
306,551
5,696
2,967
2,729
18.6
9.7
8.9
1977
304,997
5,793
2,872
2,921
18.9
9.4
9.5
2.14
1978
308,942
5,641
3,263
2,378
18.2
10.5
7.7
2.05
1979
311,421
5,823
2,968
2,855
18.6
9.5
9.1
2.10
1980
315,262
5,602
3,216
2,386
17.7
10.2
7.5
1.99
1981
318,028
5,292
3,062
2,230
16.6
9.6
7.0
1.87
1982
319,936
5,912
3,050
2,862
18.1
9.4
8.8
1983
331,859
5,651
3,137
2,514
17.1
9.5
7.6
1984
329,189
5,571
2,903
2,668
16.9
8.8
8.1
1.95
1985
331,997
5,430
2,837
2,593
16.1
8.4
7.7
1.95
1986
340,907
5,245
2,824
2,421
15.3
8.3
7.1
1.93
1987
343,334
5,314
2,908
2,406
15.4
8.4
7.0
1.97
1988
345,636
5,533
2,708
2,825
15.9
7.8
8.1
2.06
1989
349,014
5,584
2,610
2,974
15.9
7.4
8.5
2.10
1990
352,430
5,368
2,745
2,623
15.2
7.8
7.4
2.04
1991
361,908
5,302
2,875
2,427
14.6
7.9
6.7
1.99
1992
365,781
5,474
2,900
2,574
14.9
7.9
7.0
2.07
1993
369,455
5,147
2,692
2,455
13.9
7.3
6.6
1.97
1994
373,161
4,826
2,698
2,128
12.9
7.2
5.7
1.84
1995
376,433
4,613
2,708
1,905
12.2
7.2
5.0
1.77
1996
378,404
5,038
2,759
2,279
13.3
7.3
6.0
1.99
1997
381,405
4,848
2,865
1,983
12.7
7.5
5.2
1.93
1998
384,176
4,670
3,018
1,652
12.1
7.8
4.3
1.84
1999
386,397
4,403
3,079
1,324
11.4
7.9
3.4
1.73
2000
388,759
4,392
2,941
1,451
11.3
7.5
3.7
1.68
2001
391,415
3,957
2,904
1,053
10.1
7.4
2.7
1.48
2002
394,641
3,918
3,006
912
9.9
7.6
2.3
1.45
2003
397,296
4,050
3,146
904
10.2
7.9
2.3
1.48
2004
399,867
3,887
3,006
881
9.7
7.5
2.2
1.39
2005
402,668
3,858
3,132
726
9.6
7.8
1.8
1.38
2006
404,999
3,779
3,216
563
9.3
7.9
1.4
1.36
2007
405,616
3,765
3,111
654
9.3
7.6
1.6
1.35
2008
407,832
4,013
3,243
770
9.8
7.9
1.9
1.43
2009
410,926
4,029
3,221
808
9.8
7.8
2.0
1.42
2010
414,027
3,898
3,010
888
9.4
7.3
2.1
1.36
2011
414,989
4,165
3,267
898
10.0
7.8
2.2
1.45
2012
417,546
4,130
3,418
712
9.8
8.1
1.7
1.42
2013
422,509
4,032
3,236
796
9.5
7.6
1.9
1.36
2014
429,424
4,191
3,270
921
9.6
7.5
2.1
1.38
2015
439,691
4,325
3,442
883
9.7
7.7
2.0
1.37
2016
450,415
4,476
3,342
1,134
9.8
7.3
2.5
1.37
2017
460,297
4,319
3,571
748
9.2
7.6
1.6
1.26
2018
475,701
4,444
3,688
756
9.2
7.6
1.6
1.23
2019
493,559
4,350
3,688
662
8.6
7.3
1.3
1.14
2020
514,564
4,414
4,084
330
8.6
7.9
0.6
1.13
2021
516,100
4,395
4,163
232
8.5
8.1
0.4
1.13
2022
521,000
4,309
4,230
79
8.3
8.0
0.3
1.08
2023
542,051
4,462
4,030
432
8.1
7.3
0.8
1.07
2024
563,443
Structure of the population
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 20.XI.2011): [22]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
207 625
209 807
417 432
100
0–4
10 347
9 714
20 061
4.81
5–9
9 971
9 448
19 419
4.65
10–14
11 355
10 893
22 248
5.33
15–19
13 509
12 673
26 182
6.27
20–24
15 062
14 388
29 450
7.06
25–29
15 722
14 598
30 320
7.26
30–34
15 641
14 553
30 194
7.23
35–39
14 757
14 042
28 799
6.90
40–44
12 840
12 396
25 236
6.05
45–49
13 574
13 321
26 895
6.44
50–54
15 292
15 304
30 596
7.33
55–59
14 655
14 591
29 246
7.01
60–64
15 130
15 465
30 595
7.33
65-69
11 429
12 299
23 728
5.68
70-74
7 389
8 816
16 205
3.88
75-79
5 579
7 708
13 287
3.18
80-84
3 181
5 313
8 494
2.03
85-89
1 622
2 945
4 567
1.09
90-94
480
1 103
1 583
0.38
95-99
82
214
296
0.07
100+
8
23
31
0.01
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
31 673
30 055
61 728
14.79
15–64
146 182
141 331
287 513
68.88
65+
29 770
38 421
68 191
16.34
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.I.2021) (Including civilian nationals temporarily outside the country.): [22]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
266 939
249 161
516 100
100
0–4
12 184
11 317
23 501
4.55
5–9
12 348
11 434
23 782
4.61
10–14
11 403
10 626
22 029
4.27
15–19
11 014
10 392
21 406
4.15
20–24
16 408
14 129
30 537
5.92
25–29
24 459
20 409
44 868
8.69
30–34
25 930
21 822
47 752
9.25
35–39
23 597
19 532
43 129
8.36
40–44
20 810
17 639
38 449
7.45
45–49
17 950
15 572
33 522
6.50
50–54
14 946
13 455
28 401
5.50
55–59
15 447
14 499
29 946
5.80
60–64
15 714
15 646
31 360
6.08
65-69
13 961
14 239
28 200
5.46
70-74
13 713
14 856
28 569
5.54
75-79
8 511
9 955
18 466
3.58
80-84
5 065
6 991
12 056
2.34
85-89
2 495
4 425
6 920
1.34
90-94
806
1 727
2 533
0.49
95-99
142
416
558
0.11
100-104
28
67
95
0.02
105-109
6
11
17
<0.01
110+
2
2
4
<0.01
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
35 935
33 377
69 312
13.43
15–64
186 275
163 095
349 370
67.69
65+
44 729
52 689
97 418
18.88
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Note: Crude migration change (per 1000) is a trend analysis, an extrapolation based average population change (current year minus previous) minus natural change of the current year (see table vital statistics). As average population is an estimate of the population in the middle of the year and not end of the year.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
^The Arabs in Malta / G. Wettinger. In: Malta: Studies of its Heritage and History / ed. Mid-Med Bank (Malta, 1986), pp. 87–104. "The Arabs in Malta". Archived from the original on 7 February 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
^Ibn Hauqal and Tenth-century Malta / A. Luttrell. In: Hyphen: A Journal of Melitensia and the Humanities. / (Malta 1987), pp 157–160 "Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"Libyans". Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
^ abJones, Huw R. (1973). "Modern emigration from Malta". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 60 (60): 101–119. doi:10.2307/621508. JSTOR621508.