Malta by the numbers: Here’s what the latest data from Census 2021 tells us

Childless households

The majority of households (76.1%) have no dependent children, a marked increase from 65% in 2011. Single-person households are the most prevalent household type (18.1%), characterised by people aged 30-64 years. In total, there are 6,378 households comprised of single parents with dependent children, an increase of 922 households from the last census.

Pride in numbers

Non-maltese nationals are more likely than Maltese people to identify as queer. At a general level, 2.5% of people over the age of 16 identify as gay, lesbian bisexual, or having a different sexual orientation. But among non-Maltese nationals, this rate is over three times higher at 5.5%. When considering just Maltese nationals, the rate falls to 1.6%.

Single Men (Put a Ring on It)

Single men outweigh single women considerably, according to the census. Indeed, 42.8% of men in Malta are single, while among women only 34.5% are partnerless.  Over half of women aged 16 and over were either married or in a civil union (50.4%).

Motherhood metrics

Over 64% of women aged 15 and over are mothers, totalling 139,223 women. Among them, 10.4% are single. On average, mothers experience their first live birth at 25.9 years. This is a one-year rise from the 2011 census figure of 24.9 years. The NSO remarked that this was “highly correlated to the age and level of education of the mothers”.  

Aches and numbers

There is a growing number of people suffering from long-term illness, disease, or chronic conditions. In the 2021 census, a total of 129,132 people (26% of people aged 5 of more) suffer from such an illness. This is a six-percentage-point rise compared to the 2011 census.

The pépé centre of Malta

Malta is still the predominant language across all age groups of Maltese nationals. However, a quarter of Maltese nationals under 10 years of age, and almost 15% of those aged 10-19 years, consider English their primary language from early childhood. Meanwhile, the highest rates of Maltese nationals over 5 years old speaking English from early childhood were found in Swieqi (37.7%), Sliema and St Julian’s (just over 25%), and Mdina (24.1%).

Prose and cons

Malta enjoys a high literacy rate of 95.7%, meaning just over 20,450 people are considered illiterate. The lowest literacy rates were seen in Ħal Luqa (89.4%), Bormla (89.8%), and Marsa (89.9%). Meanwhile, Swieqi (98.8%), Balzan (98.1%) and Attard (98%) recorded the highest rates.

From high to higher

More people are now getting higher education compared to 2011. Nearly 25% of individuals aged 15 or older have completed tertiary education, up from 14.1% in 2011.

All work and no play

In the last ten years, the number of people with jobs, aged 15 and older, went up from 171,855 to 273,955. The count of people taking care of the house and/or family went down from 80,493 (22.6% of those aged 15 and above) in 2011 to 60,242, making up 13.3% of the same group in 2021.

Profession parity

When it comes to jobs, differences between men and women persist. More men work as professionals (16.4%), technicians and associate professionals (14.9%), and craft-related workers (13.7%). On the other hand, women are mainly employed in service and sales positions (25.7%), professional roles (24%), and clerical support positions (14.2%).