Malta remains EU's most densely populated country, Eurostat finds
Malta far ahead of the Netherlands and EU average as PN says overpopulation is a matter of 'national urgency'
Malta remains the most densely populated country in the European Union, registering the sharpest increase in the number of residents per square kilometre of all European Union member states, the latest Eurostat data reveal.
In 2024, Malta once again topped the list of population density registering 1,817.4 people per square kilometre, substantially higher than the next country, the Netherlands which had 529.5 persons per square kilometre.
The EU average stands at just 109.7 persons per square kilometre.
At the end of 2024, Malta’s resident population was estimated at 574, 250, marking a 1.9 per cent increase over the previous year. This increase was primarily driven by net migration of 10,614, with non-EU citizens making up 76.6 per cent of these migrants.
In February, the International Monetary Fund warned that Malta “cannot sustain further substantial population and labour force growth through immigration”.
The Eurostat report also shows that Malta is among the few countries registering strong year-on-year growth in terms of the number of people living in each square kilometre. Most Member States are registering a decrease.
Between 2015 and 2024, Malta’s population density increased by around 400 people per square kilometre.
Reacting to the findings, the Nationalist Party said that overpopulation has now become a problem of “national urgency”.
“The Labour Government has already been warned repeatedly that the economic model it is pursuing is not sustainable and is having a negative impact on people’s quality of life,” the PN said in a statement on Thursday.
The Opposition pointed at several areas which are being impacted by overpopulation including the “immense pressure on national infrastructure”, seawater contamination from sewage, traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, and overcrowding when accessing basic services.
“The country cannot continue moving in this direction,” the PN said, as it called for “immediate action” to safeguard quality of life.