Malta’s population surpasses half a million mark

Malta’s population hit a record 516,000, according to preliminary figures from the 2021 Census released by the National Statistics Office on Friday.

The Census held last November recorded an increase of 99,000 people living in Malta since the last Census of 2011. The increase in the country’s population comes in the wake of an influx of EU and third country nationals.

This means that compared to a hundred years ago, the Maltese population has increased by 304,000 people.

The Maltese population had increased by just 72,000 in the 25 years between 1985 and 2011, which pales in comparison to the epochal demographic explosion of the past decade. This means that while the population increased by just 21% in the 25 years between 1985 and 2011 , it has increased by a staggering 24% in the past 10 years.

The number of dwellings has also increased by a remarkable 37% from 152,980 recorded in 2011 to 210,000 in 2021. 

Despite this sharp increase, Malta’s population remains 116,000 lower than Luxembourg’s and less than half that of Cyprus. Malta remains the smallest EU country.

The status report on the Census shows that the response rate among private dwellings stood at 83.4%, ranging from over 94% in localities like Tarxien, Iklin and Żurrieq, to less than 65% in Żebbug, St Julians and Sliema.

According to the report participation was highest among dwellings which were predominantly composed of Maltese nationals. 

A more accurate count of the total population and dwelling counts will be provided in the preliminary report that will present a socio-demographic profile of the total resident population.

This is expected to be published in the second quarter of the year. Upon termination of the follow-up exercise in July 2022, indicators about the final population will be released in a series of thematic publications starting from the last quarter of 2022.