Malta Population

Malta Population

Malta consists of three large islands and several uninhabited cliffs. The country has a long colonial history thanks to its strategic position in the Mediterranean. The small island community has traditionally been very conservative and is still strongly influenced by the Catholic Church.

Key figures and facts

  • Capital: Valletta
  • Ethnic groups: Maltese (descendants of Carthaginians and Phoenicians with elements of Italians and other Mediterranean people)
  • Language: Maltese (official) 90.1%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.9% (2005)
  • Religion: Roman Catholic (official) over 90% (2006)
  • Population: 432 089 (2018)
  • Control Form: Republic
  • Area: 320 km2
  • Currency: euro
  • GNP per capita: 37 928 PPP $

Malta’s Population

Malta has 483,530 residents (2018). Most of them on the main island of Malta. On the islands of Gozo and Comino there are 37 342 and three persons respectively. Life expectancy at birth is 84.8 for women and 80.6 for men. The birth and death rates per 1000 residents are 10 and 7.3 respectively. The birth rate per woman is 1.48 children (2018).

Malta Country Population

94.7 percent of the population lives in urban areas (2019). More than half of the population lives on the eastern part of the island of Malta. In the capital Valletta itself there are more than 6000 residents. In the metropolitan area of ​​Valletta, there are 355,000 people (2018).

Population of Malta by Year (Historical)

Year Population Annual Growth Rate Population Density Global Rank
2020 441,432 0.270% 1379.8219 174
2019 440,261 0.260% 1376.1625 174
2018 439,137 0.300% 1372.6500 174
2017 437,822 0.420% 1368.5406 174
2016 435,986 0.590% 1362.8031 174
2015 433,448 0.920% 1354.8719 174
2010 414,142 0.470% 1294.5406 173
2005 404,542 0.550% 1264.5406 173
2000 393,534 0.870% 1230.1406 173
1995 376,785 0.810% 1177.8000 172
1990 361,904 0.890% 1131.2969 170
1985 346,139 0.880% 1082.0313 169
1980 331,386 0.560% 1035.9281 167
1975 322,245 0.110% 1007.3625 166
1970 320,434 -0.110% 1001.7031 164
1965 322,131 0.590% 1007.0063 162
1960 312,862 -0.030% 978.0406 160
1955 313,415 0.100% 979.7687 157
1950 311,892 0.000% 975.0094 155

Major Cities in Malta by Population

Rank City Population
1 Birkirkara 21,565
2 Qormi 18,119
3 Mosta 17,678
4 Zabbar 14,919
5 San Pawl il-Bahar 13,946
6 Saint John 12,235
7 Fgura 11,565
8 Zejtun 11,438
9 Sliema 11,207
10 Haz-Zebbug 10,952
11 Hamrun 10,569
12 Naxxar 10,267
13 Marsaskala 9,913
14 Attard 9,399
15 Paola 9,146
16 Zurrieq 9,038
17 Birzebbuga 8,557
18 Tarxien 7,650
19 Siggiewi 7,565
20 Gzira 7,402
21 Rabat 6,953
22 Imsida 6,809
23 San Giljan 6,688
24 Valletta 6,683
25 Victoria 6,485
26 Santa Venera 6,153
27 Cospicua 5,985
28 Mellieha 5,865
29 Swieqi 5,862
30 Marsa 5,005
31 Luqa 4,942
32 Ghaxaq 4,264
33 Nadur 3,822
34 Pieta 3,735
35 Xaghra 3,569
36 L-Iklin 3,249
37 Xewkija 3,192
38 Ghajnsielem 3,149
39 Balzan 3,129
40 Saint Lucia 3,075
41 Pembroke 2,927
42 Marsaxlokk 2,915
43 Gudja 2,912
44 Dingli 2,898
45 Imgarr 2,889
46 Kalkara 2,871
47 Senglea 2,853
48 Vittoriosa 2,825
49 Mqabba 2,780
50 Floriana 2,405
51 Qrendi 2,382
52 Lija 2,360
53 Imtarfa 2,319
54 Kirkop 2,026
55 Hal Gharghur 1,914
56 Safi 1,752
57 Zebbug 1,659
58 Sannat 1,570
59 Ta’ Xbiex 1,531
60 Kercem 1,516
61 Fontana 900

Historical background

The residents are descended from Arabs, Italians and other Mediterranean people. Between 1842 and 1956, 70,000 people emigrated, especially to Tunisia, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada, but many emigrants have returned to Malta since 1975.

Boat refugees to Malta

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 19,000 boat refugees arrived in Malta from 2002 to 2017. 70 percent of these refugees have been relocated to other European countries. From January 1 to October 1, 2019, 2804 boat refugees arrived in Malta against 1445 throughout 2018. In 2018, 43 percent of boat refugees came from Sudan, seven percent from Eritrea and five percent from Nigeria.

Religion

Of the population, 94.4 percent belong to the Catholic Church.

Language

Maltese and English are official languages. Maltese, spoken by 90.1 percent of the population, is an Arabic dialect. The language is closely related to the Arabic dialects in North Africa.