This chapter provides a more in-depth breakdown of social security beneficiaries, categorising every benefit’s recipient at both district (LAU 1) and locality (LAU 2) levels. Maps included provide a visual representation of the spatial distribution and magnitude of beneficiaries according to benefit type and LAU. To allow for comparison between localities, beneficiaries are reported graphically per 1,000 population. All maps were divided into five categories. Pie charts showcasing the gender ratio of beneficiaries by district have been included in each map, bar expenditure.
Salient Points
Overview: 2024
During 2024, there were 218,140 persons in Malta and Gozo in receipt of social security benefits.
Female recipients accounted for 54.8 per cent of the total beneficiaries.
Non-contributory benefits were issued to 172,584 individuals, 30.1 per cent of the population and 6.5 percentage points (p.p.) higher than contributory beneficiaries (135,657).
Between 2016 and 2024, the number of recipients rose by 22.0 per cent. In contrast, a steeper increase (24.8 per cent) in Malta’s population resulted in the beneficiaries-to-population ratio to drop by 0.9 p.p..
By District: 2024
The Southern Harbour district recorded the highest share (46.9 per cent) of beneficiaries-to-population, followed by the Western district (42.4 per cent).
The lowest ratio was exhibited within the Northern Harbour (32.0 per cent), depicting a range of 13.7 p.p. among the six districts.
Locality level: 2024
At 574 recipients among every 1,000 inhabitants, Ħal Luqa registered the highest share of beneficiaries among the 68 localities. Santa Luċija (560 recipients per 1,000 population) and Valletta (511 recipients per 1,000 population) were ranked second and third, respectively.
Conversely, the lowest percentages were documented in San Ġiljan (21.6 per cent), Is-Swieqi (22.2 per cent) and L-Imsida (23.8 per cent).
Expenditure: 2024
€1.4 billion, including bonus payments, went towards social security benefits.
On average, beneficiaries obtained €6,413 in benefit income.
Among the six districts, the Northern Harbour reported the largest (€6,797) average income per beneficiary, while the lowest average was noted in the Northern district (€5,668).
Recipients residing in L-Imdina (€9,817) and San Pawl il-Baħar (€5,006) reported the highest and lowest average benefit income received annually, respectively.
Charts
Tables
Maps
Methodological Notes
1. Social security benefits data showcased in this chapter is sourced from the System for the Administration of Social Benefits (SABS) held by the Department of Social Security (DSS).
2. Definitions:
a. Actual Beneficiaries: The actual number of beneficiaries for a particular social benefit in the reference year, for a locality or region. It is also represented as per 1,000 of population.
For every region or locality:
| No. of Beneficiaries |
| Total Population |
b. Expected Beneficiaries: The estimated number of beneficiaries for a particular social benefit in the reference year, for a locality or region. The expected number is calculated using the national average number of beneficiaries.
| No. of Benefit Beneficiaries |
| Total Population |
c. Expenditure per Beneficiary: The amount of expenditure incurred per locality divided by the number of unique beneficiaries residing in that locality.
d. Expenditure: The amount of expenditure incurred on a particular benefit accruing to a region (beneficiaries residing abroad are not included).
e. Percentage Share of Beneficiaries: The number of beneficiaries residing in a locality as a percentage of total beneficiaries. A person who receives more than one benefit is counted once. This is only applicable for the last table in this publication.
f. Population: The total number of persons living on the Maltese Islands.
g. Ratio of Beneficiaries: This ratio shows whether the locality or region is below or above the average number of national beneficiaries. A ratio above 1 indicates that the region or locality has a higher number of beneficiaries than the national average. A ratio below 1 indicates that the region or locality has a lower number of beneficiaries than the national average. The ratio can be calculated by dividing the Actual Number of Beneficiaries by the Expected Number of Beneficiaries.
h. Total Expenditure: The total amount of expenditure covering all social benefits plus the contributory and non-contributory bonus accruing to a locality (beneficiaries residing abroad are not included).
3. Beneficiaries are grouped according to their ID number. If a person received a particular benefit more than once in a calendar year, the records show one beneficiary.
4. Numbers of beneficiaries do not include Maltese persons living abroad.
5. For confidentiality purposes, expenditure amounts for districts with maximum two beneficiaries are not shown.
6. The total benefits expenditure quoted in Chapter 10 does not match with the Treasury’s Corporate Financial Management Solution (CFMS), which was used in the compilation of social security benefits outlay in previous chapters. The CFMS includes welfare payments that are missing from the SABS database.
