NSO Malta | History of the Census

History of the Census

History of the Census

On average every ten years since 1842, Malta has been conducting the Census of Population and Housing, during which a count of all persons, households and dwellings is taken. The Census is the most complete available source of information about the population in the country.

Early Population Counts

Early Population Counts

In 1240 A.D. circa, a report by a certain Abate Giliberto put the number of families living in the Islands of Malta and Gozo at 1,119. The Archives relating to Maltese medieval demographic history show that a “Census of Population and Production” was conducted in 1481 A.D. Its purpose was to record the local production and stocks of wheat, as well as to enumerate the consumers. At the time of its publication, it was quaintly described as a Census of “mouths” and “wheat”. The results of this Census are not known, but three decades into the 17th century, specifically in 1632, a census recorded the number of people living in the Islands at 51,750. Table 1 depicts a series of population counts and estimates dating to the earliest records up to just before 1842, when the line of “modern censuses” was initiated. This table should be read with caution. Modern research has demonstrated the need to be extremely wary of the use of information emanating from early population counts. Documentation on Maltese medieval history is scanty and often unreliable when dealing with demographic and social data. It would seem that, in so far as demographic data prior to the 19th century are concerned, the only two reliable sources are (1) the Militia Lists and (2) the Parochial Registers.

Table 1. Population censuses and estimates prior to 1842

Table 1. Population censuses and estimates prior to 1842

Year	Numbers
1240	1,119	Families
1530	33,000	Estimate
1565	10,000	Estimate
1582	20,000	Estimate
1590	32,290	Census
1617	43,798	Census
1632	51,750	Census
1741	110,000	Estimate
1807	93,054	Census
1823	112,204	Estimate
1826	119,736	Estimate
Source: Information adapted from Census 1957.

Censuses in the 19th Century

Censuses in the 19th Century

When the troops of the first French Republic invaded Malta in 1798, the Maltese population was said to number over 100,000. Depredations during the French siege of Valletta brought it down to 93,054 (Census in 1807). The information for this Census, which showed that 31 per cent of the population was concentrated in the environs of Valletta and Floriana, was abstracted from parochial registers. According to a detailed report on the 1813 plague by Dr. W.H. Burrell, Principal Medical Officer of the Army in Malta, the total population was estimated at 111,000.

On March 21, 1842 the first census in a line of decennial censuses was carried out. The 2021 Census was the eighteenth in this series. The five censuses held between 1842 and 1881 were authorised by an Official Notice published in the Malta Government Gazette. Each housekeeper or head of the household was required to complete a form that was delivered by an official enumerator on a fixed date and subsequently collected, duly filled, five days after. In view of the widespread illiteracy, the Notice stated:

… to the effect that such forms may be filled up with accuracy and despatch, the Governor requests the well-informed and respectable inhabitants to assist their neighbours in furnishing the required information.

Censuses in the 20th Century

Censuses in the 20th Century

The subsequent five censuses, taken between 1891 and 1931, were underpinned by an Ordinance empowering the Governor to formulate regulations for the taking of a census within a specified period. This was Ordinance No. II of 1891. This year marked the first time that a penalty clause for non-response was inserted into census legislation. In fact, Preliminary Remark No. 6 of the General Report on the 1891 Census states:

No serious obstacles were met within the enumeration, and in the few instances in which information was refused, a simple warning that persons refusing to give the required information were liable to the penalties established by Law for contraventions sufficed to overcome all opposition

Table 2. Population: 1842-2021

Census Date	Population			Percentage intercensal increase/ decrease			No. of males per 1,000 females
Census Date	Total	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	No. of males per 1,000 females
1842, March 21	114,499	55,168	59,331				930
1851, March 31	123,496	60,456	63,040	7.86	9.59	6.25	959
1861, October 31	134,055	66,270	67,785	8.55	9.62	7.53	978
1871, May 3	141,775	69,952	71,823	5.76	5.56	5.96	974
1881, April 3	149,782	73,430	76,352	5.65	4.97	6.31	962
1891, April 5	165,037	81,316	83,721	10.18	10.74	9.65	971
1901, March 31	184,742	91,994	92,748	11.94	13.13	10.78	992
1911, April 2	211,564	105,601	105,963	14.52	14.79	14.25	997
1921, April 24	212,258	102,745	109,513	0.33	-2.7	3.35	938
1931, April 26	241,621	117,457	124,164	13.83	14.32	13.38	946
1948, June 14	305,991	150,665	155,326	26.64	28.27	25.1	970
1957, November 30	319,620	153,108	166,512	4.45	1.62	7.2	920
1967, November 26	314,216	150,598	163,618	-1.69	-1.64	-1.74	920
1985, November 16	345,418	169,832	175,586	9.93	12.77	7.31	967
1995, November 26	378,132	186,836	191,296	9.47	10.01	8.95	977
2005, November 27	404,962	200,819	204,143	7.1	7.48	6.72	984
2011, November 20	417,432	207,625	209,807	3.1	3.3	2.8	990
2021, November 21	519,562	270,021	249,541	24.5	30.1	18.9	1,082

Permanent legislation for the taking of a census of population was enacted in Malta in 1948 on the occasion of the post-Second-World-War Census. Act II of 1948 was passed by the Legislative Assembly and assented to by the Governor of Malta, Governor Sir Francis C.R. Douglas on 28th February 1948. This Act constitutes the legal basis for all the population censuses taken on and after 1948. A silhouette of all the censuses carried out from 1842 to date is presented in Table 2.

Method of Conducting the Census

Method of Conducting the Census

There are two universally-adopted methods for the taking of a census – the ‘de facto’ and the ‘de jure’ methods. The ‘de facto’ method concerns the enumeration of the population of a place at the time the Census is taken, irrespective of whether the person is at the usual place of residence or not. By means of the ‘de jure’ method, a person who is away from the usual place of residence at the time of the Census, is still enumerated in the place of usual residence. By means of this approach therefore, all persons are finally recorded in the locality in which they reside permanently. Up to the 1931 Census, censuses in Malta were conducted using the ‘de facto’ approach. The 1948 Census was the first one taken using the ‘de jure’ method, a procedure that applied also to the methodology employed in all subsequent population and housing censuses up to the 2021 Census.

Also, for the first time ever in 2011, the ‘intention of stay’ was considered to determine the eligibility criteria upon which someone is enumerated in a census. Indeed, the definition, states that enumerated persons should comprise those who have lived in Malta for a continuous period of at least twelve months before Census day, or who arrived in Malta during the twelve months before this day with the intention of staying in Malta for at least one year.

Processing Census Data

Processing Census Data

No machinery was used for the tabulation of the 1948 Census data. All the work was performed manually by means of worksheets and the transcription of head counts onto a series of summary sheets. These were then used to compile the various tables prepared to show the information in the desired variables.

For the 1957 and 1967 Censuses, the completed enumeration schedules were centralised in the Census Office. The coding, checking and tabulating of the data followed in readiness for the transfer of this information by machine operators to Hollerith punch cards. Data Processing technology was first used in the course of the 1985 Census, when the information collected was transferred to computer files on a 100-per-cent basis. Computers were extensively in evidence in the 1995 Census, with the data being processed in a data-entry pool peopled by about 20 operators entering and verifying data at their personal workstations but linked in a single network.

Figure 1: Hollerith punch card

The Hollerith machine system was used from the mid-Fifties onwards by Maltese government departments for the processing of all types of data

Table 3. A stock-take of census publications since 1957

1957	1967	1985	1995	2005	2011	2021
Preliminary report	Preliminary report	Preliminary report	Preliminary report	Preliminary report	Preliminary report	Preliminary report
1957 Census Silhouette	Report on Housing Characteristics	A Demographic Profile of Malta and Gozo	Vol. 1 Population, Age, Gender and Citizenship	Vol. 1 Population	Final report	Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Report - Volume 1: Population, migration and other social characteristics
Report on Population and Housing	Report on Economic Activities Vols. I and II	A Computer-drawn Demographic Atlas of Malta and Gozo	Vol. 2 Fertility	Vol. 2 Dwellings		Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Report - Volume 2: Dwelling Characteristics
Report on Economic Activities	Report on Population Characteristics		Vol. 3 Nuptiality and Households			Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Report - Volume 3: Health, education, employment and other characteristics
Maltese Life Table			Vol. 4 Education and Economic Activity
Source: National Statistics Office

The last Census held in 2021

The last Census held in 2021

The 2021 Census of Population and Housing was the 18th in a series of censuses conducted since 1842. This census introduced several innovative features aimed at modernizing the data collection process. Notably, it was the first time participants could complete the census questionnaire online, with access provided from October 2021.

In a move towards digitisation, enumerators used tablet computers to record information during home visits instead of relying on traditional paper forms. Additionally, data collection via telephone was an option, with tablet applications enabling enumerators to identify households that had not submitted their online forms. This allowed them to offer assistance or complete the questionnaire for those households directly. The systems used for data collection were synchronized overnight to ensure efficiency.

Field data collection occurred from November 8 to 28, 2021, with an extension in certain areas until December 15, 2021. Despite the digital advancements, printed forms remained available to accommodate all households.

Geocoding played a crucial role in optimizing the allocation of enumeration areas and mapping census results. Each dwelling was geocoded to a specific reference point, allowing for analysis of census data across a 1 square kilometre grid. This geospatial approach enabled the NSO to produce geospatial census results for the first time, enhancing the depth and utility of the census data.

Key indicators from the 2021 Census:

On Census Day, November 21, 2021, Malta’s population reached 519,562, more than doubling over the past century and increasing by over 100,000 in the last decade
Malta remained the most densely populated country in the EU, with 1,649 residents per square kilometre.
Notably, the 2021 Census recorded a higher number of males than females, resulting in a sex ratio of 1,082 males for every 1,000 females.
The average age of the population was 41.7 years, with Gozitan residents averaging slightly older at 43.8 years compared to 41.5 years for the Maltese.
Additionally, over 20% of residents were foreign nationals, totalling 115,449 non-Maltese individuals, and marking a more than fivefold increase in the foreign population since 2011.

Chart 1. Population counts between the years 991 and 2021

Accessing 2011 and earlier Census data

Accessing 2021 and earlier Census data

Printed reports containing census results have been produced for all censuses. The 2005 Census introduced the first release of census results on electronic media. A complete set of all previous census printed reports is available for public access by arrangement with the Communication and Dissemination Unit at the National Statistics Office in Valletta. Custom requests can also be provided on request and at extra cost.

While the general picture of population change can be studied from one census to another, each census evolved in a unique way to reflect the changes in society at the time. Therefore, direct comparison with regards to detailed change over time is not advisable also in view of different metadata and classification issues. Changes between censuses reflect changes in; the method of questions asked, the categories and classifications used and updates in geographical boundaries. This means that each census primarily provides a ‘cross sectional’ picture of the country at each specified census date.

For more information on past and upcoming censuses, kindly contact the Communication and Dissemination Unit at the National Statistics Office with your enquiries. They will advise on the availability of census related products, offer guidance on other sources of data and are the central source of information for any information provided by the National Statistics Office.