The demografic Maltese situation

Abstract

The total population of Malta as of the 26th November 2005 stood at 404,039 persons. This figure includes both the Maltese and foreign residents. Since the first census of 1842, the population has increased three-and-a-half fold, from 114,499 in 1842 to the present count. While the population increased by over 60 per cent between the first Census and the turn of the 20th century, the population has more than doubled between the beginning of the 20th century and the turn of the 21st, i.e. between 1901 and 2005. In the last Census the population grew by 6.9 per cent when compared to the previous Census that was taken in 1995, thus indicating a slowdown in population growth. In fact, in the period between 1985 and 1995, the population had grown by 9.5 per cent. The period between the 1995 Census and the 16th Census held in 2005 saw a marked decline in the average annual growth, the population increasing by an average of 0.7 per cent per year between the two Census years.