Malta with biggest population increase in EU

Malta is the smallest EU country and at 3.4% its population growth has outstripped the rest of the member states, according to Eurostat data

10 July 2018, 12:51pm
by Kurt Sansone

1 min read

Malta's population now stands at 475,700

If it feels crowded, that’s because it is. Statistics issued by Eurostat on Tuesday show Malta experiencing the largest population increase in the EU in 2017.

The island’s population stood at 475,700 at the start of 2018, an increase of 3.4% over January 2017, according to the EU statistics agency.

The next largest population increase was registered in Sweden with an increase of 1.2%.

Greece, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Bulgaria registered population declines.

Eurostat figures also show that Malta has the seventh highest birth rate in the EU

Malta accounts for just 0.1% of the EU’s population, making it the smallest country in the bloc, followed by Luxembourg with a population of 602,000.

In addition to having experienced the largest increase in population, separate statistics issued by Eurostat show Malta having the seventh highest birth rate.

Kurt Sansone is Executive Editor of MaltaToday. He was formerly deputy editor of MaltaTod...