Tourism added over 90,000 people to Malta’s population in August 2025

Malta’s population increased by more than 90,000 people in August 2025 due to tourism, according to figures published by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

August, Malta’s peak tourism month, saw the population rise from 581,244 residents to an effective population of 671,576 when tourists were included. This represented an increase of 90,332 people, entirely accounted for by tourists.

Across the year, tourism added an average of 50,767 people to Malta’s resident population, bringing the average effective population to 632,011.

According to the NSO, there were approximately nine tourists for every 100 residents in 2025, an increase of one tourist per 100 residents compared to 2024.

The impact of tourism was also reflected in population density. Malta had an average of 1,845 residents per square kilometre in 2025, rising to 2,006 people when tourists were included.

The impact was even greater in the Northern Harbour district, where tourists increased population density by nearly 15%, from 7,718 to 8,845 people per square kilometre.

The Northern Harbour district, which had both the largest resident population and the highest average annual tourist population, recorded the highest effective population in 2025. Meanwhile, the Eastern Harbour district registered the lowest tourist population throughout the year.

At the locality level, St Julian’s recorded the highest tourism intensity, with 83 tourists for every 100 residents.

It was followed by Valletta, which registered the largest increase in tourism intensity compared to 2024, with an additional 11 tourists per 100 residents.

St Paul’s Bay followed, recording an effective population of 59,444, while Sliema registered 37,614. Sliema also recorded the highest population density, at 29,023 people per square kilometre.

The NSO noted that Malta’s effective population fluctuates throughout the year due to the seasonal nature of tourism.

In December, the country’s quietest tourism month, tourists added just 13,184 people to the resident population, bringing the effective population to 594,428.

More recent figures suggest that Malta's tourism industry continued to grow in 2026.

On 2 October, the NSO reported that 539,655 tourists visited Malta in August 2026 alone, an increase of 14.7% compared to the same month in 2025.

Meanwhile, Malta International Airport reported a 12% increase in passenger traffic during the summer compared to the previous year, with 1,109,789 passengers passing through the airport.

The increase came as aircraft movements rose by 12.6% and seat capacity expanded by 15.8%, with the airport operating more flights and offering more seats than a year earlier.