Malta's population increased by 24 per cent over a decade, according to national data issued on International Day of Families.

More than half a million residents were registered at the end of 2019, with net migration being the main driver behind population growth.

The share of foreigners in the resident population grew from nearly five per cent at the end of 2010 to around 20 per cent by the end of 2019, the National Statistics Office said on Friday.

In 2019, resident live births only increased the population by 662 people when taking into account the number of deaths that year.

Meanwhile, birthing women got older. The average age of parents giving birth increased by nearly two years since 2010, reaching 30.6 years in 2019.

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