People from Malta were the fourth most likely to use peer-to-peer accommodation, such as AirBnB, this year.

According to a report released on Wednesday by Eurostat, this phenomenon is most common in the UK (34%), Luxembourg (22%), and Ireland (21%), while Malta and the Netherlands both reported that 20% of their population used these online matchmaking systems.

Overall, the EU average was 17% for 2017. Most of them used dedicated websites or apps, but other websites or apps (including those of social networks) have also had a share in facilitating those activities. These peer-to-peer services are part of the so called 'collaborative' or 'sharing economy'.

Arranging transport services online was less common, being used by around 8% of individuals in the EU but the Maltese once again proved to be among the more open to this possibility - in fourth place. These booking systems were used by 12% of the population in the previous 12 months.

While online accommodation booking from another private individual was more common among EU individuals aged 25-54 (22%), arranging transport services from another private person tends to be more popular among the younger generation (14% of those aged 16-24).