Elderly people most likely to report being lonely, study finds

People aged between 61 and 70 years old are more likely to report feeling lonely according to a study.

The study examined 700 individuals aged between 11 and 93 years old and was a continuation of previous studies on loneliness in Malta.

The research, led by Andrew Azzopardi in collaboration with Marilyn Clark, Anna Grech and Liberator Camilleri was financed by the Alf. Mizzi Foundation.

When compared to a 2019 study, loneliness increased by 7.8%, as severe loneliness increased from 2% to 4.8% in 2025.

Overall 51.1% of the sample group reported feeling some form of loneliness, while 48.9% said they were not lonely. Of those who were lonely, 4.8% said they felt severely or very severely lonely. 

The study found that women and girls are more likely to report being severely lonely. 

When one looks at age distribution, the study finds that severe loneliness is highest in the 20-34 and 55+ age groups. Meanwhile, the least lonely cohort are those aged between 35 and 54 years old.

Respondents were also queried on different types of loneliness such as emotional loneliness, which is a lack of emotional attachment to people. 

The most emotionally lonely people are adolescents aged between 11 and 20 years old, as only 19% of respondents from this cohort did not report feeling emotionally lonely. This, the study notes, is likely reflective of challenges in forming strong emotional bonds at that age. 

Meanwhile, those aged between 31 and 50 years old are the least emotionally lonely, but loneliness increases again in respondents over 51 years old.

The study also looked at social loneliness, which is associated with one’s lack of social contact. 

The most likely individuals who experience social loneliness are those aged between 61 and 70 years old. Very high social loneliness is also most prevalent in people aged older than 51.