Census results showing that foreigners are three times more likely to identify as LGBTIQ+ "make sense,” according to an NGO that works with the community.
The third volume of the Census of Population and Housing 2021 from the National Statistics Office (NSO) published on Friday showed that 2.5% of individuals identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or of a different sexual orientation.
However, the census noted that while 5.5% of non-Maltese people identified as being of a different sexuality, only 1.6% of the Maltese population said the same.
Commenting on the disparity, a spokesperson for the Malta LGBTIQ+ Rights Movement (MGRM) said the results “made sense” but admitted the Maltese numbers were “extremely low.”
He said Malta’s laws could act as a “pull factor” for foreign nationals when deciding where to move abroad, leading to relatively high numbers of non-Maltese reporting being of a different sexuality.
He pointed to results that showed higher numbers of people identifiying as LGBTIQ in areas with larger expatriate communities.
The number was the highest in the northern harbour area, which includes localities like Sliema and Birkirkara, where 40% of those identifying as LGBTIQ+ live.
Underreporting
On the low Maltese numbers, the spokesperson said this could be due to family members filling in the census forms on behalf of the entire household.
He said this could reflect those filling in the form not being aware of a family member’s sexuality or choosing to not report it, recalling one person telling him their mother had chosen not to report them being homosexual “because you never know who sees the data.”
Figures showing that those between the ages of 20 and 39 were more likely to report as being of a different sexuality could indicate higher prevalences of independent living and people in that age group being “more comfortable with themselves,” he said.
The spokesperson said those younger may not have come to terms with their sexuality or chosen to share the information with their family, while those older could face generational pressure not to accept or talk about their sexuality, something he referred to as “internalised homophobia.”
According to the census results, those between the ages of 20 and 39 who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or of a different sexuality accounted for around 60% of the total, representing 6,800 people out of around 11,000.
Echoing the MGRM, a spokesperson for NGO Allied Rainbow Communities said the low numbers of Maltese represented in the figures could be due to some respondents “not being out to the family, denial or ostricisation from the family or not filling in the report plus many, many more [reasons].”
Spokesperson Michael Owen added: “While headway has been made in recent years to make this country more accepting and inclusive, this just shows there is much more work to do for our friends, our family and for Malta in general”.
Data collection
Responding to questions, the NSO said the census data was collected either by each member of the household filling out the questions relevant to themselves, one person answering on behalf of the entire household or by individual telephone or in-person interviews.
However, the NSO said there was not a disparity between data collected through interviews or from households: “Rates compiled based on data reported directly by households and data collected by interviewers are in line.”
According to a study from statistics company Statista, last year three per cent of the global population identified as being gay or lesbian, with a further four per cent saying they were bisexual and one per cent pansexual or omnisexual.