Demographics & population — Malta
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Malta: 457,267
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Population overview
- Population
457,267
- Population Growth Rate
0.34%
- Urban Population
- Population in Major Urban Areas
VALLETTA (capital) 198,000
Age & family
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
1.99
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)
- Language Note
The Maltese language has a Semitic structure derived from a early form of Arabic. Both Maltese and English are official languages. The written form of Maltese is a Latin script, and it is used in commerce, education and business. However, English is a second language that is taught in school.
- Nationality Noun
Maltese (singular and plural)
Education
- Literacy - total population
92.8%
- Literacy - male
92%
- Literacy - female
93.6%
- Literacy Definition
age 10 and over can read and write
- Education Expenditures - percent of GDP
6.9%
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- Infant Mortality Rate
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
8
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
3.23
- Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
4.4
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
8.5%
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
28.8%
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved