| Foreign population in Malta | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Population | % total | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | 12,112 | 3.0% | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | 20,289 | 4.9% | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | 23,365 | 5.5% | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 115,449 | 22.2% | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 137,376 | 25.3% | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 153,361 | 31.5% | |||||||||||||||||
 | This article needs to be updated. (May 2021) |
Immigration to Malta has increased significantly over the past decade. In 2011, immigration contributed to 4.9% of the total population of the Maltese islands in 2011, i.e. 20,289 persons of non-Maltese citizenship, of whom 643 were born in Malta. In 2011, most of migrants in Malta were EU citizens (12,215 or 60.2 per cent), predominantly from the United Kingdom (6,652 persons).[citation needed]
By the beginning of 2021, figures released by Malta's National Statistics Office showed that 20% of Maltese residents, or 103,718 people were foreigners.[1][2] According to Malta's national employment agency, 70,402 of these non Maltese nationals were employed. Workers from EU countries made up 44% of the employed foreigners resident in Malta, while non-EU nationals represented 56% of Malta's foreign workforce.[2] As of September 2021, foreign workers made up 27.9% of Malta's total workforce.[3] The top employer for these foreign workers is the gambling and betting sector, which in Malta is made up of 58.6% of non-Maltese nationals.[3]
Demographically, non-Maltese residents in Malta are predominantly males (52.5%) and younger than average (40.6 years of average age).[citation needed]
As of the end of 2020, the most popular location for foreigners to live in Malta was St Paul's Bay, where non-Maltese nationals made up 52% of the population.[2] Sliema also has a substantial foreign population, with 43% of residents holding foreign passports as of the end of 2020.[2]
- ^ Muscat, Gavin (2021-05-18). "20% of Malta's residents are foreigners". Newsbook. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ a b c d "Working in the shadows: population figures contradict claims of foreign exodus". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ a b "A quarter of Malta's workforce are foreign nationals". Times of Malta. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-21.