The preliminary report of the Census of Population and Housing 2021, published by the National Statistics Office, measures the extent of the change in Malta’s demographics over the last 10 years.

Economists and social scientists who love number crunching already have enough material to keep them busy for several months as they try to interpret how Maltese society has changed in the last few years. Many can read the commentary section of the report to confirm whether their intuitive conclusions have been accurate.

The most impressive headline is that the population count has reached nearly 520,000, with 10,000 persons per year having been added to the local population since 2011. Another headline figure is that more than one in five persons living in Malta are non-Maltese. Not surprisingly, Malta has retained, to a large extent, its record of being the most densely populated country in the EU.

Various conclusions can be drawn from a preliminary evaluation of these demographic developments. One is that the rapid increase in economic growth in the last decade has been achieved mainly due to the mass importation of foreign skilled and unskilled labour.

Some may describe this phenomenon as the Dubaification of the Maltese economy. This is an unflattering label as it implies that human capital is treated as a commodity that is traded with little respect for people’s dignity. The exploitation of vulnerability affects not only migrants from Africa but also low-skilled labourers from countries such as India and Pakistan who are offered work under conditions that are precarious both literally and in terms of financial stability.

The rapid increase in economic activity has been responsible for the deterioration of the urban and rural environment, much of it resulting from the provision of more accommodation, primarily of low quality, for the influx of foreign workers. The census report figures confirm why so many feel that their quality of life has deteriorated in the last decade. Malta has become one big building site, with a crane at every corner, heavy vehicles and private cars causing constant congestion of the inadequate road network and air and noise pollution adding to the stress of everyday living.

Still, our political leaders, policymakers and many in the business community seem to agree that we need more of the same to achieve economic success in the coming decade and beyond. The country’s societal leaders may be suffering from groupthink when they fail to challenge the current non-sustainable economic model.

Neither of the larger political parties has come up with alternative, sustainable strategies beyond the rhetoric of wishful thinking.

The regulator and operators in the tourism sector repeat the need to invest in quality when the only objective they are prepared to pursue with passion is to boost visitor numbers. They plead for more liberal policies so that more low-paid workers can be imported and insist on taxpayers footing the bill for more effective cleaning of tourist-friendly urban centres. 

The census report examines one crucial element of the evolution of Maltese society. A more meaningful interpretation can be obtained when follow-up reports are published. For instance, it is vital that we get a good picture of how our educational system is developing.

The most sobering conclusion that one can draw from the census is that the economic growth of the last decade has been achieved at high cost: a deterioration in the quality of life of the many who are prone to the ill-effects of overdevelopment.