New statistics shows that foreign residents make up 28% of Malta’s current population and are mostly youths, balancing out the growing local ageing population.

A recent report made by The National Statistics Office, shows a leap in Malta’s foreign population, standing at around 158,368 individuals as of 2023.

Between 2022 and 2023, the foreign population grew by 15.3%, in comparison to the mere 0.1% local population growth. In terms of age and sex, the Maltese population sits at a balanced 49.8% males and 50.2% females, with the median age being 43-years-old.

Meanwhile, the foreign population contains a male majority, with the sex being 61.1% of the population, while 38.9% are female. However, in contrast to the locals, foreign residents are primarily made of individuals standing at a median of 32 years of age, a full 10 years younger than that of the nation’s.

With the rapid increase in foreign residents consisting primarily of young adults ranging from mid-twenties to thirties, the statistic sets off a stark contrast in the current old-age dependency ratio (OADR).