Population woes

Statistics published last week by the National Statistics Office have shown that Malta’s population has risen by a staggering 28.6% over a decade. The statistics have also confirmed what we have known all along – that this population burst is a result of more and more foreigners setting up residency in Malta.

The resident population of Malta grew from 421,464 in 2012 to 542,051 in 2022, the NSO statement said. The increase in the population size was attributed primarily to the growth in the foreign population. While the Maltese population grew by only 1.7% from 398,099 to 404,675, the foreign population grew five-fold, rising from 23,365 in 2012 to 137,376 in 2022.

It is likely that the numbers have continued to grow since 2022.

Inevitably, this sudden surge brought about bigger challenges – traffic problems, because the number of cars on the road has increased; more pressure on the infrastructure, as the demand for water, energy and drainage systems shot up; the need for more accommodation, with the result that the cost of renting a place is now much higher than it was a decade ago; and many social issues too.

It has also brought to the fore the fact that many jobs have been taken up by foreigners, mostly because the tasks involved are no longer sought by the Maltese. Certain industries, such as the restaurant business, gaming and the construction sector, depend by and large on foreign workers. There is also a large presence of foreign workers in health, transport and manufacturing too. The fact that more and more foreign workers are living in Malta with their families also means that this has also put a strain on the education system and health services too.

It is a given that, without such numbers, the Maltese economy as it stands now will flounder. We can say however that there should have been better planning for the changeover – if we can call it that – that took place soon after the Labour government came into power in 2013. The haphazard way in which it all happened – and the resultant chaos that exists today since Malta cannot physically take on such a heavy influx – has made things more difficult.

The government is now trying to make up for this, such as by introducing a skills card. Whether this will be enough to see an improvement remains to be seen. But, independently of this, the number of people making a living in Malta is not set to drop anytime soon, and the words of Finance Minister Clyde Caruana – that we are heading towards a situation that some 800,000 would be required to live in Malta to sustain the economic model unless it is changed – are quite haunting.

Because if we are facing so many problems of space and congestion with 542,000 plus people living here (and the tens of thousands of tourists who are here at any given time on a holiday), what will Malta look like with 800,000 residents?

And what will the pressure be on our roads, infrastructure, health, education, energy and so on? Do we have a plan for this or are we waiting for the horse to bolt to close the stable?