NSO Malta | World Population Day: 11 July 2023

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World Population Day: 11 July 2023

NR119/2023

Release Date: 10 July 2023

The estimated total population of Malta and Gozo at the end of 2022 stood at 542,051, up by 4.2 per cent when compared to the previous year.

Population estimates published in this news release are based on the end of year 2021 estimate which has been revised as a result of the latest Census of Population and Housing. The revised estimate for 2021 supersedes the previous estimate published for this reference year. This updated estimate results from the ongoing intercensal revisions of the population time series. Further revisions to the population series from 2012 to 2021 will be disseminated later in the year.

Due to the revision of the 2021 population estimate there is now a temporary break in series. It is therefore currently not possible to compare the estimates on population and migration in this news release with the currently published time series.

The population increase in 2022 was mainly driven by a total net migration (immigration less emigration) of 21,798 persons. Third country nationals made up 83.1 per cent of the total net migrants in 2022. Males accounted for 65.8 per cent (Table 1).

Nearly 53 per cent of the total resident population at the end of 2022 was male. Persons under the age of 18 made up 15.1 per cent of the total population, while 18.6 per cent were aged 65 and over. Of these, 3,395 persons – 2,415 females and 980 males – were aged 90 and over (Table 2).

Chart 1. Total population by age group and sex as at 31 December 2022

Resident live births in 2022 decreased by 2 per cent when compared to the previous year (Table 3). Of the parents who gave birth in 2022, 39.7 per cent were aged 30 to 34 at the time of birth (Table 4). Resident deaths in 2022 increased by 1.6 per cent over the previous year (Table 5). Of the 4,230 resident deaths occurring during 2022, 67.4 per cent were persons aged 75 and over at the time of death (Table 6). Natural increase continued to decline in 2022, reaching the lowest value recorded over the past fifteen years, at 79 (Chart 2).

Chart 2. Natural increase

2008-2022

The 2021 end of year population estimate referenced in this news release has been revised based on the results of 2021 Census of Population and Housing. Table 7 provides a breakdown of the revised 2021 estimate by sex and single years of age. This estimate results from the ongoing intercensal revisions of the population time series following the 2021 Census. Further revisions to the population series from 2012 to 2021 will be disseminated later in the year.

Additional Tables and Charts

Table 1. Composition of population change: 2022

Table 2. Total population by sex and single years of age as at 31 December 2022

Table 3. Resident live births by sex and year

Table 4. Resident live births by age group of parents and sex of child: 2022

Table 5. Resident deaths by sex and year

Table 6. Resident deaths by age group at death, sex and year

Table 7. Total population by sex and single years of age as at 31 December 2021 (revised)

All Tables

Methodological Notes

1. Population estimates published in this news release are based on the end of year 2021 estimate which has been revised as a result of the latest Census of Population and Housing. The revised estimate for 2021 supersedes the previous estimate published for this reference year. This updated estimate results from the ongoing intercensal revisions of the population time series. Further revisions to the population series from 2012 to 2021 will be disseminated later in the year.

2. Resident deaths for 2020 have been revised following an update from the source.

3. All population components are based on definitions provided for in the European Regulation (EU) No. 1260/2013 on European demographic statistics.

4. All migration components are based on definitions provided for in the European Regulation (EU) No. 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.

5. Statistics in this release reflect the enactment of the Marriage Act and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2017. All provisions of this Act came into force on 1st September 2017 through Legal Notice 212/2017.

6. Definitions:

● Emigration: the action by which a natural person leaves his or her usual residence in the territory of the Member State for a period that is, or is expected to last, a minimum of 12 months. This figure is measured by summing up the counts of all employment termination forms which ended during the reference year and residence permit holders who fail to extend their permits during the reference year, together with their dependants; resettled or repatriated asylum seekers who were previously given protection and other Maltese emigrants.

● Immigration: the action by which a natural person establishes his or her usual residence in a territory of a State for a period that is, or is expected to last, a minimum of 12 months. This figure is measured by summing up the count of all new employment engagement forms and residence permit holders, their dependants, asylum seekers granted protection, returned Maltese migrants and adoptions of children from foreign countries.

● Natural increase: the difference between the number of live births and the number of deaths during a reference year.

● Total population: all persons residing in Maltese Islands. The total population at the end of year t, is computed using the equation P_t = P_t-1 + B_t – D_t + I_t – E_t , where:

i. P_t is the total resident population at the end of year t,

ii. P_t-1 is the total resident population at the end of year t-1,

iii. B_t is the total number of babies whose birth parent was resident in Malta during year t,

iv. D_t is the total number of registered deaths of persons resident in Malta during year t,

v. I_t is the total immigration of both Maltese and foreign nationals registered during year t who immigrated with the intention to live in Malta for a period of at least 12 months,

vi. E_t is the total emigration of both Maltese and foreign nationals resident in Malta registered during year t who leave the country for a period of at least 12 months.

● Resident live births: all babies whose parent(s) is(are) resident in Malta at the time of birth. Therefore the definition excludes babies born to parents who are resident abroad.

● Resident deaths: all registered resident Maltese and foreign deaths in Malta and Gozo. These counts exclude deaths of tourists, but include Maltese residents who die abroad and whose death is subsequently registered in Malta. This definition excludes still births.

● Third Country National: any person who is not a citizen of the European Union. As of reference year 2020, this also includes citizens of the United Kingdom.

● Usual residence: refers to the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage. Usual residents of a specific geographical area are:

i. those who have lived in their place of usual residence for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference time; or

ii. those who arrived in their place of usual residence during the 12 months before the reference time with the intention of staying there for at least one year.

● Usually resident population: refers to all persons who have their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time.

7. Sources:

● Demographic data in this release is based on records held by the Public Registry and the Directorate of Health Information and Research.

● Migration data is based on relevant administrative records and on estimates based on auxiliary information and access to administrative records as shown in the table below:

Entity	Data flows	Data records
National Statistics Office (NSO)	Immigration of Maltese citizens	Decennial Census of Population and Housing
	Immigration of Maltese citizens	Ongoing frontier survey: TOURSTAT
	Emigration of Maltese citizens	Ongoing frontier survey: TOURSTAT
Jobsplus	Migration flows of European Union and United Kingdom citizens	Employment engagement and termination forms
International Protection Agency	Migration flows of Third-Country Nationals excluding the United Kingdom.	Asylum records
Third-Country Nationals Unit		Resettlements and repatriations
Identity Malta Agency		Residence permits database
Public Registry	Foreign adoptions	Registration of adoptions

8. Geographical information

● The European Union (EU27) includes Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden.

9. Timely population estimates are published in order to meet user needs. These estimates are subject to further quality assurance processes and may be subject to revision in subsequent demographic publications.

10. More information relating to this news release may be accessed at:

Statistical concepts
Metadata (Demography)
Metadata (Migration)
Past releases

11. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately.

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13. A detailed news release calendar is available online.