Home » Population » World Population Day: 11 July 2024
The estimated total population of Malta and Gozo at the end of 2023 stood at 563,443, up by 3.9 per cent when compared to the previous year (Chart 1, Table 1). The population increase in 2023 was mainly driven by a total net migration (immigration less emigration) of 20,960 persons. Non-EU citizens made up 93.1 per cent of the total net migrants in 2023. Males accounted for 65.3 per cent (Table 2). While net migration decreased slightly when compared to 2022 (3.8 per cent), both immigration and emigration increased in 2023 (Chart 2, Table 3).
2008 - 2023
No Data Found
2008 - 2023
No Data Found
Natural increase was 5.5 times higher when compared to the previous year, from 79 in 2022 to 432 in 2023. This was the highest natural increase recorded since 2019. This increase was due both to a decrease in resident deaths and an increase in resident live births (Chart 3).
Resident live births in 2023 increased by 3.6 per cent when compared to the previous year (Table 4). Of the parents who gave birth in 2023, 40.3 per cent were aged 30 to 34 at the time of birth (Table 5). Resident deaths in 2023 decreased by 4.7 per cent over the previous year (Table 6). Of the 4,030 resident deaths occurring during 2023, 69.4 per cent were persons aged 75 and over at the time of death (Table 7).
2008-2023
No Data Found
As at end 2023, 53 per cent of the total resident population was male. Persons under the age of 18 made up 14.7 per cent of the total population, while 18.4 per cent were aged 65 and over. Of these, 3,611 persons – 2,568 females and 1,043 males – were aged 90 and over (Chart 4, Table 8).
1. All population components are based on definitions provided for in the European Regulation (EU) No. 1260/2013 on European demographic statistics.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 Pt = Pt-1 + Bt – Dt + It – Et , where:
i. Pt is the total resident population at the end of year t,
ii. Pt-1 is the total resident population at the end of year t-1,
iii. Bt is the total number of babies whose birth parent was resident in Malta during year t,
iv. Dt is the total number of registered deaths of persons resident in Malta during year t,
v. It 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. Et 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.
● Non-EU citizen: 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.
5. 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 estimated based on a number of administrative records. These registers are not designed for direct compilation of population statistics in line with the required definitions, therefore complex estimation techniques are used to derive meaningful population statistics from these sources. Moreover, when no appropriate sources are available, auxiliary sources like surveys are used to address data gaps. A list of relevant data sources is provided below:
Entity | Data flows | Data records |
National Statistics Office (NSO) | Immigration of Maltese citizens | Decennial Census of Population and Housing |
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 Non-European Union Citizens excluding the United Kingdom | Asylum records |
International Protection Appeals Tribunal | ||
Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment - Migration Directorate | Resettlements, repatriations and relocations | |
Identita' - Expatriates Unit | Residence permits database | |
Identita' - Public Registry | Foreign adoptions | Registration of adoptions |
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. More information relating to this news release may be accessed at:
Statistical concepts
Metadata (Demography)
Metadata (Migration)
Past releases
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