Malta’s population grew by more than a quarter in ten years, according to official statistics published on Friday.
From 2012 to 2022, the population grew from over 421,000 to around 542,000, an increase of almost 29%, data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows.
The rise was mainly attributed to the increase in foreign nationals, which rose to account for a quarter of the population by 2022.
The number of foreigners increased while the Maltese population stayed relatively stable. Graph: NSO.The NSO noted that while the Maltese population grew by only 1.7%, the foreign population grew five-fold from 6% in 2012 to 25% a decade later.
The male population also grew during the same period, rising to overtake the female population by five percentage points. In 2012, men accounted for 49.8% of the population, while by 2022 they represented 52.5%.
The rise in the proportion of men was a change for the country, which historically has been predominantly populated by women.
And with more than 35,000 residents, St Paul’s Bay overtook Birkirkara as the locality with the largest population.
The influx of migrants to Malta increased consistently over the 10 years aside from 2020 and 2021. Graph: NSO.Migration and where people live
The data shows St Paul’s Bay became much more popular over the 10 years, with its population more than doubling during that time.
While in 2012 Birkirkara had the largest population with almost 22,000 inhabitants, a decade later St Paul’s Bay led with more than 35,000 residents.
By contrast, Mdina was the locality with the smallest population in 2022, with only 202 residents living in the country’s old capital.
St Paul’s Bay was also popular with foreign nationals, hosting the second-highest number of non-Maltese in the country. The greatest number lived in Msida, where three out of five people were foreigners.
Meanwhile, Dingli had the least number of foreign residents, with less than three per cent of the population made up of non-Maltese.
The Northern Harbour district, which includes busy localities such as Birkirkara, Sliema and St Julian’s was the part of the country with the highest population density, which is measured by the number of people in a given area.
The Northern Harbour continued to be the most popular area. Graph: NSO.“The Northern Harbour district was the most densely populated district, at 7,019 resident population per square kilometre. Conversely, Gozo and Comino was the least densely populated district at 585 residents per square kilometre,” the NSO said.
And while Senglea was the most densely populated locality in 2012, a decade later it had been overtaken by Sliema, the data showed.
Birth and death
While the death rate remained “relatively stable” over the 10 years, the birth rate saw a slight drop from around 10 births per 1,000 people to eight in 2022. The number of deaths for the same population sample stayed consistent at around eight over the same period.
The fertility rate – which is measured by the number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age – also fell from 1.43 to 1.08, the NSO noted.
“This decline is partly attributed to the fact that while the number of annual resident live births has remained relatively stable over the period, the number of females of reproductive age in the population has increased,” it said.
Meanwhile, life expectancy increased by around one-and-a-half years over the decade, rising from 80.9 to 82.3 years. And while women continue to enjoy a better life expectancy both at birth and by the age of 65, the NSO said the gap had narrowed since 2012.