Malta’s rapidly growing vehicle population is more than just a perception, with the country having one of the largest motorisation rates in Europe.

An EU report has found that there are 612 cars for every 1000 people. That means that at least 60% of the country has a car.

The effects can be felt in Malta’s perennial traffic problem, despite the government’s continued attempts to address the issue.

The number of cars on the road is showing no signs of slowing down with NSO figures putting the increase at anything between 50 to 80 cars per day. With the country having more cars than babies, the only question that remains is when the petrol posse’ will outweigh the human population.

High motorisation rates appear to be a common feature of smaller EU member states, with Luxembourg (670), Finland (617), and Cyprus (609) all recording large figures.

The motorisation rate is especially worrying for Malta beyond the traffic issue, with the same Eurostat report also finding that transportation was the main source of greenhouse gas emissions in Malta.

In fact, while Malta may have a growing issue with the number of cars on the road, substantial maritime and aviation sectors also have their effect.

In terms of an air fleet, for example, Malta has the highest number in relation to population, with 362 aeroplanes per million inhabitants.

The closest nation is Luxembourg at 203.  The numbers do reflect Malta’s tourism economy, with the small island accounting for 2.6% of Europe’s total air fleet.

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