More than one-third of the population receives social security benefits, according to a report from the National Statistics Office (NSO).

In 2022, over 190,000 people – equivalent to 35% of the population – received social security benefits, with each claimant receiving on average almost €6,000, the Social Protection 2024 report found. 

Those living in the Southern Harbour district – including Valletta, Floriana and the Three Cities – registered the highest proportion of social security recipients, with 43% of the district’s population receiving benefits. 

Meanwhile, the Northern district, encompassing areas including Mosta, Mellieħa and St Paul’s Bay, saw the lowest proportion (30%) of inhabitants claiming social security benefits.

At a local council level, Mdina saw the highest proportion of social security claimants with 55% of the population receiving assistance, while Swieqi saw the lowest proportion (21%).

49% of social security beneficiaries received old-age benefits

Almost half (49%) of all the social security beneficiaries received old-age benefits, totalling 92,000 claimants.

And while 17% of the population received old age benefits, this contrasted with the proportion receiving unemployment benefits, with less than one per cent of the population receiving such support in 2022.

Żejtun saw the highest proportion of disability claimants

Meanwhile, almost 2% of the population (just over 10,500) received disability assistance. Żejtun saw the highest proportion of disability claimants (4% of the population) while Swieqi reported the lowest (less than one per cent).

In total, more than €1.13 billion was spent on social security benefits in 2022, accounting for 44% of the €2.56 billion total social spending which included healthcare spending and energy subsidies.

Healthcare

From 2018 to 2022, admissions to Mater Dei stayed relatively stable, hovering at around 64,000 per year.

While the number of patients attending primary care centres rose almost 4% over the same period to around half a million by 2022, GP home visits plummeted by around 80%, falling from 22,700 to 4,400.

And while the overall number of admissions to Mount Carmel stayed relatively stable from 2018 to 2022, the number of compulsory admissions jumped by almost 80%, rocketing from 393 to 705 over the same period.

In total, there were almost 2,250 admissions to Mount Carmel in 2022.

European outlook

Overall, over one quarter (26%) of the EU’s GDP went towards social spending, with France dedicating the highest share (32%) out of all the countries in the bloc, closely followed by Austria (29%).

Meanwhile, Ireland and Romania dedicated the least to social spending, allocating 11% and 14% of GDP, respectively.

In total, Malta spent almost 16%, the sixth lowest in the union.