What we are in numbers: here’s what the latest census statistics say

The latest in a series of releases issued by the National Statistics Office on Friday gives a clearer picture of who we are and what we are.

The Census of Population and Housing is a detailed statistical exercise featuring Malta and its people by their demographic and social characteristics. It provides a portrait at a point in time, and for the 18th Census, this was 21 November 2021. The census’ legal basis is the national Census Act 1948 and the supranational EU Regulation No. 763/2008.

This is the third in the series of volumes detailing the statistical information collected during the Census of Population and Housing. The census takes place every 10 years. It gives a picture of the people, households and dwellings in Malta at a point in time, called Census Day in the terminology of the census. Follow-ups of data collection, compilation, validation and analysis were carried out throughout 2022.

Salient points of publication:

• The majority of households (76.1%) had no dependent children, marking an increase from 65% in 2011. The most prevalent household type was the single-person household, characterised by individuals aged 30-64 years, with 18.1%.

• A total of 6,378 households were comprised of single parents with one or more dependent children, an increase of 922 households compared to 10 years before.

• 11,073 individuals or 2.5% of individuals aged 16 and over identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or having a different sexual orientation. This rate was over three times higher among non-Maltese nationals (5.5%) compared to the Maltese (1.6%).

• Over half of the female population aged 16 and over, were either married or in a civil union (50.4%). A greater proportion of single males emerged, constituting 42.8% compared to 34.5% for females.

• The count of mothers totalled 139,223, constituting 64.2% of the female population aged 15 and over. Among them, 14,491 were single.

• The mean age at which mothers experienced their first live birth was 25.9 years, reflecting a one-year rise from the 2011 figure of 24.9 years. This was found to be highly correlated to the age and level of education of the mothers.

• A total of 129,132 individuals (26% of persons aged five or more) suffered from a long-term illness, disease and/or chronic condition – a 6-percentage-point rise compared to the preceding Census held in 2011.

• While Maltese remained the predominant language across all age groups of Maltese nationals, nearly a quarter of those under 10 years and 14.7% of those aged 10 to 19 years considered English their primary language from early childhood.

• The highest rates of Maltese nationals aged five years or more speaking English from early childhood were found in Swieqi (37.7%), Sliema and St Julian’s (just over a quarter) and Mdina (24.1%).

• In 2021, the literacy rate reached 95.7%, resulting in 20,453 individuals classified as illiterate. Luqa (89.4%), Cospicua (89.8%) and Marsa (89.9%) had the lowest rates, whereas Swieqi (98.8%), Balzan (98.1%) and Attard (98%) recorded the highest rates.

• The shift towards higher education continued to materialise with all categories from the attainment of an upper secondary level being higher compared to 2011. Almost a quarter of the persons aged 15 or more were in possession of a tertiary level compared to 14.1% in 2011.

• Over the past decade, there has been a noteworthy rise in the number of employed persons, which includes individuals aged 15 years or older, increasing from 171,855 to 273,955.

• The count of persons taking care of the house and/or family decreased from 80,493 (constituting 22.6% of those aged 15 and above) in 2011 to 60,242, comprising 13.3% of the same demographic in 2021.

• Regarding the nature of occupations, gender disparities persisted. Males predominantly held positions as professionals (16.4%), technicians and associate professionals (14.9%) and craft and related trade workers (13.7%). Females were primarily employed as service and sales workers (25.7%), professionals (24%), and clerical support positions (14.2%).