The economic viability of domestic-oriented industries in Malta

Abstract

The Maltese islands have a total area of 122 sq. miles. The 1967 census showed a population of 314,216 giving an average density for Malta and Gozo of 2,576 persons per sq. mile. The population is in fact highly concentrated in urban areas, only about one-third being classified as living in rural areas. The course of economic development in any country is directly affected by the changes in the size and composition of the population. This cannot be more true than in the case of Malta. The post-war period saw an increase of the total resident population in the intercensal period 1948-1967 of some 4.5% while the 1957-1967 decade saw a net drop of 1.7% from a population total of 319,620 in 1957 to the 1967 census figure of 314,216. Basically, these changes were the result of changes in birth rate as well as changes in emigration. The latest population figure - even if provisional - is that for 1970 showing a population of 319,214.