There were 3,757 irregular immigrants living in detention and open centres, Home Affairs Minister Emanuel Mallia told Claudio Grech (PN) yesterday.
The number represented a drop of 482 migrants from September 2009.
Dr Mallia said 2,767 lived in open centres and 990 in detention centres in Safi and Ħal Far, 1,221 fewer in detention centres than the last figures.
Last September, there were 1,303 irregular immigrants living in private residences, 424 more than the 879 in September four years earlier.