Demographic features of the population of Malta include population density, ethnicity, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Characteristics

Malta is the most densely populated country in the EU and one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with about . This compares with about 32 per square kilometre (85 per square mile) for the United States.

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Malta was first colonized by Sicilians. Subsequently, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs in 870 ADThe Arabs in Malta / G. Wettinger. In: Malta: Studies of its Heritage and History / ed. Mid-Med Bank (Malta, 1986), pp. 87–104. who may have completely depopulated the islandsIbn Hauqal and Tenth-century Malta / A. Luttrell. In: Hyphen: A Journal of Melitensia and the Humanities. / (Malta 1987), pp 157–160 but in 1224 were themselves expelled from Malta, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, French and the British have influenced Maltese life and culture to varying degrees.

Roman Catholicism is established by law as the religion of Malta with 98%; however, full liberty of conscience and freedom of worship is guaranteed, and a number of faiths have places of worship on the island (rather small groups, a combined total of 2% of the people are Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, Muslims and Jews).

Malta has two official languages--Maltese (a Semitic language derived from Siculo-Arabic and heavily influenced by Sicilian and Italian), and English, which includes a local dialect, Maltese English. Both languages are compulsory subjects in Maltese primary and secondary schools. A large portion of the population is also fluent in Italian, which was, until 1936, the national language of Malta. The literacy rate has reached 93%, compared to 63% in 1946. Schooling is compulsory until age 16.

Age distribution Since 2000, the shift in the age composition towards an older population continued to materialise. In fact, the average age of the Maltese population increased from 38.5 in 2005 to 40.5 in 2011. This resulted from the increase in the number of persons aged 55 and over, together with a decrease in the number of persons under 25 years of age. The average in Gozo and Comino (41.6 years) was higher than that observed for Malta. Persons aged 65 and over more represent 16.3% of the total population in 2011, compared to 13.7% in 2005. In contrast, persons aged 14 and under make up 14.8% of the population in 2011, compared to 17.2% in 2005.

Migrant background and foreign nationality Foreign nationals in Malta

As of 2016 and 2017, the numbers of selected groups of resident foreign nationals (non-naturalized residents) in Malta were as follows:

This list does not include foreign nationals who acquired Maltese nationality and foreign nationals without resident status. +RankNationalityPopulation (2016)Population (2017)Total30,000+ EU nationals22,000+1 Italy5,1802 United Kingdom3,9853 Libya3,6224 Serbia2,7575 Philippines2,4076 Bulgaria2,0447 Russia2,0278 Somalia1,8459 Hungary1,30810 Syria1,28911 Romania1,26212 Spain1,11913 China1,09014 Sweden1,08515 Eritrea1,05716 Germany99117 Ukraine89618 France87919 India81920 Poland71921 Netherlands46622 Greece37923 Slovakia33824 Austria33225 Finland32126 Portugal29727 Czech Republic29628 Ireland28129 Latvia27630 Lithuania21331 Denmark20432 Belgium18833 Estonia12034 Slovenia10635 Croatia100Other non-EU nationals400+

Emigration

Malta has long been a country of emigration, with big Maltese communities in English-speaking countries abroad. Mass emigration picked up in the 19th century, reaching its peak in the decades after World War II.

In the nineteenth century, most migration from Malta was to North Africa and the Middle East (particularly Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt), although rates of return migration to Malta were high. Nonetheless, Maltese communities formed in these regions. By 1900, for example, British consular estimates suggest that there were 15,326 Maltese in Tunisia. There is little trace left of the Maltese communities in North Africa, most of them having been displaced, after the rise of independence movements, to places like Marseille, the United Kingdom or Australia.

After World War II, Malta's Emigration Department would assist emigrants with the cost of their travel. Between 1948 and 1967, 30 per cent of the population emigrated. Between 1946 and the late 1970s, over 140,000 people left Malta on the assisted passage scheme, with 57.6 per cent migrating to Australia, 22 per cent to the UK, 13 per cent to Canada and 7 per cent to the United States. (See also Maltese Australians; Maltese people in the United Kingdom)

46,998 Maltese-born residents were recorded by the 2001 Australian Census, 30,178 by the 2001 UK Census, 9,525 by the 2001 Canadian Census and 9,080 by the 2000 United States census.

Emigration dropped dramatically after the mid-1970s and has since ceased to be a social phenomenon of significance. However, since Malta joined the EU in 2004 expatriate communities emerged in a number of European countries particularly in Belgium and Luxembourg. At the same time, Malta is becoming more and more attractive for communities of immigrants, both from Western and Northern Europe (Italians, British) and from Eastern Europe (Serbians).

Immigration Foreign population in MaltaYearPopulation% total2005 12,1123.0%2011 20,2894.9%2021 115,44922.2%

Most of the foreign community in Malta, predominantly active or retired British nationals and their dependents, is centred on Sliema and surrounding modern suburbs. Other smaller foreign groups include Italians, French, and Lebanese, many of whom have assimilated into the Maltese nation over the decades.

Since the late 20th century, Malta has become a transit country for migration routes from Africa towards Europe. As a member of the European Union and of the Schengen agreement, Malta is bound by the Dublin Regulation to process all claims for asylum by those asylum seekers that enter EU territory for the first time in Malta.

Irregular migrants (formal Maltese: immigranti irregolari, informal: klandestini) who land in Malta are subject to a compulsory detention policy, being held in several camps organised by the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM), including those near Ħal Far and Ħal Safi. The compulsory detention policy has been denounced by several NGOs, and in July 2010, the European Court of Human Rights found that Malta's detention of migrants was arbitrary, lacking in adequate procedures to challenge detention, and in breach of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Very few migrants arrived in Malta in 2015, despite the fact that the rest Europe was experiencing a migrant crisis. Most migrants who were rescued between Libya and Malta were taken to Italy, and some refused to be brought to Malta.

Net Migration

+ Net migration for Malta (2012–present) Year Immigration Emigration Net migration 2012 9,152 5,946 3,206 2013 12,446 6,550 5,896 2014 15,928 6,200 9,728 2015 18,202 8,225 9,977 2016 18,116 9,510 8,606 2017 22,750 8,036 14,714 2018 27,394 10,019 17,375 2019 29,304 8,079 21,225 2020 14,751 13,804 947 2021 16,963 13,146 3,817 2022 34,964 13,116 21,848 2023 42,239 21,279 20,960 2024 34,033 23,419 10,614

Ethnicity

+ Ethnic groups in Malta by census year Ethnic group 2021 census 2031 census Number % Number % Caucasian 462,997 89.13% – – Asian 27,019 5.20% – – Arab 8,756 1.69% – – African 8,178 1.57% – – Hispanic or Latino 6,511 1.25% – – More than one racial origin 6,101 1.17% – – Total 519,562 100.00% – –

Language

+ Main language spoken in Malta (population aged 5 and over) Language 2021 census 2031 census Number % Number % Maltese 352,346 70.86% – – English 50,242 10.10% – – Italian 13,397 2.69% – – German 10,427 2.10% – – French 4,521 0.91% – – Arabic 8,514 1.71% – – Other 57,818 11.63% – – Total 497,265 100.00% – –

Religion

+ Religion in Malta (population aged 15 and over) Religion 2021 census 2031 census Number % Number % Roman Catholicism 373,304 82.66% – – Islam 17,454 3.86% – – Orthodoxy 16,457 3.64% – – Hinduism 6,411 1.42% – – Church of England 5,706 1.26% – – Protestantism 4,516 1.00% – – Buddhism 2,495 0.55% – – Judaism 1,249 0.28% – – Other religious groups 911 0.20% – – No religious affiliation 23,243 5.14% – – Total 451,746 100.00% – –

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Largest cities: Birkirkara Mosta Qormi Żabbar San Pawl il-Baħar Sliema San Ġwann Rabat Żejtun Naxxar

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.01 years male: 76.83 years female: 81.31 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.42 children born/woman (2015 est.)

State religion: Roman Catholic Church in Malta 88.6% (2016 est.)

Languages: Maltese (official de facto), English (official de jure), Italian (widely understood)

Vital statistics Statistics from United Nations and National Statistics Office Malta