Census shows that 70,000 people live alone, but who are they?

Middle-aged Maltese-born men are more inclined to live alone compared to their female counterparts, while among the elderly a higher proportion of women live alone. 

The data on solo living was extracted from the Census by the National Statistics Office, following a request by MaltaToday. 

The information reveals that there are 22,665 Maltese-born males and 21,270 Maltese-born females, living in single-person households. Together these constitute 63% of all individuals living alone. In contrast, among non-Maltese individuals making up the remaining 37%, males are more prevalent, particularly among younger age groups. 

Although there is a roughly equal number of Maltese men and women living alone, a closer look at age demographics highlights significant gender disparities. 

The most significant difference emerges among those aged between 30 and 59. Within this age bracket, 11,805 Maltese males live alone, while only 5,951 similarly aged females live solo. Consequently, 52% of all males residing in single-member households fall into this age group, while only 28% of women living alone belong to the 30 to 59 age range. 

The NSO currently lacks data on marital status since this information is expected to become available in November when the final tranche of Census data is released. 

The higher percentage of middle-aged men living alone may be indicative of separated women continuing to cohabit with their children, while their former partners are more likely to move to single-person dwellings. The lower number of females aged 30 to 60 living alone also correlates with a higher rate of single parenthood among women and suggests that males are more inclined towards a bachelor lifestyle. 

In contrast, nearly half (46.3%) of Maltese women living alone are aged over 70, compared to only 21% of men in the same age group. Furthermore, over 70-year-old Maltese women are nearly twice as likely to live alone as men. This could be attributed in part to the longer life expectancy of females, leading to a higher female population. 

However, among individuals under 30, Maltese women are almost as likely as men to live alone, although the numbers are relatively low for both genders. The Census identifies only 2,097 Maltese males and 1,626 Maltese females living alone in this age group. This suggests that many people under 30 still reside with their parents. 

Foreigners tend to be younger 

In contrast, foreigners living in single-person households tend to be younger than their Maltese counterparts, with males outnumbering females in this category. The Census identifies 26,221 foreigners living alone, constituting 37% of the 70,156 individuals living alone in Malta. Of these, 9,102 are women, while 17,119 are men, reflecting the predominance of single males among the foreign workforce in Malta. 

Additionally, non-Maltese individuals living alone, regardless of gender, tend to be younger than their Maltese counterparts. In fact, individuals under 30 account for 33% of foreign males and 30% of foreign females living alone. Among both genders, 60% of foreigners living alone fall within the 30 to 59 age range.