Census shows population shifts

First results from the population census held last November show a slowing down in population growth since the last census in 1995, but Malta remains by far the most densely populated country in the EU.

Since the first census in 1842, the population has increased by three-and-a-half times, from 114,499 to 404,039 in 2005, the preliminary census report, tabled in Parliament, shows. While the population grew by over 60 per cent between 1842 and the turn of the 20th century, it more than doubled between 1901 and 2005.

However, while population growth was 9.5 per cent between 1985 and 1995, it decelerated to 6.9 per cent in the following decade.

The census shows that the largest concentration of residents remains in the Northern Harbour district, but the strongest growth is in the localities in the North of Malta.

The Northern Harbour district is home for 118,664 residents, or 29.4 per cent of the population, a net increase of 0.2 per cent over 1995.

In the Southern Harbour district, the population has declined by 2,127, or 2.6 per cent, from 83,234 in 1995 to 81,107 in 2005. The population in the South Eastern district has grown by 17.2 per cent from 50,650 in 1995 to 59,378 in 2005, the second largest increase among the districts.

Population growth in the Western district has been 9 per cent, to 56,662 from 51,961 in 1995.

The largest increase, however, has been in the Malta Northern district where the population has increased by 12,323 or 27.5 per cent to 57,175 from 44,852 in 1995.

At 7 per cent, the population growth in Gozo and Comino is just above the national average, with an increase of 2,027 persons reaching 31,053.

Birkirkara remains the largest locality with 21,775 residents followed by Mosta with 18,676 and Qormi with 16,576. Mdina is smallest with just 258 residents followed by Ghasri and San Lawrenz with 417 and 599 people respectively.

Mdina proportionately lost most residents over 10 years, with a decline of 31.6 per cent. In contrast Marsascala experienced the strongest growth rate (compared to 1995) followed by St Paul's Bay, with the number of residents has surging by 94.9 and 84.2 per cent respectively.

The census found that women outnumber men at 50.2 and 49.7 per cent respectively but the gap has narrowed from the 1995 census when the proportion of males was 49.4 per cent compared to 50.6 females.

Malta's population density was an average of 1,282 residents per square kilometre. In stark contrast, the population density in the Netherlands, the second most densely populated EU country, was 480 residents per square kilometre.

With 1,513 residents per square kilometre, Malta is more densely populated than Gozo and Comino, whose average is 452 residents per kilometre.

On a national level, population density increased by an average of 82 persons for every square kilometre between 1995 and 2005.

Senglea remains the most densely populated locality with 19,293 residents per sq km, even though this is down markedly from 22,078 residents per kilometre 10 years previously. The next most densely populated in 2005 was Sliema (10,026 per sq km) and Fgura (9,868 per sq km).

San Lawrenz has the lowest density with just 132 residents per square kilometre followed by Ghasri (148) and Fontana (183).

The census report says that since the 1995 census there has been a "definite shift" in the age composition of the population. The population is getting older, mainly due to a lower fertility rate and an improvement in longevity. The 65+ age group now represents 13.7 per cent of the population, up from 11.4 per cent in 1995. On the other hand, in November 2005, the persons under 25 years of age made up 31.5 per cent of residents compared to 36.6 per cent in 1995. The trend had been observed since the 1967 census and is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

The population in Pembroke is the youngest, with 28.3 per cent of residents aged under 15 compared to Sliema where only 10.2 per cent of residents were under 15.

The age composition of Malta's population is close to the age structure prevalent in the EU.

The dependency ratio (the sum of persons aged under 15 and over 65 as a percentage of the working age population between 15 and 64) in Malta stood at 44.5 per cent in November 2005 compared to 50.4 per cent in the 1995 census and a projected average of 55.1 per cent worldwide.

Compared to the EU, Malta has a significantly lower old-age dependency ratio, measured as the proportion of persons aged 65 and over divided by the working age population. The ratio stands at 19.8 per cent compared to 24.9 per cent across the EU. "Nevertheless, it is worth emphasising that in the 1995 census, the old-age dependency ratio stood at 17. 2 per cent. Thus it has increased significantly within the span of 10 years."

The report says that compared to the EU, Malta's population is still relatively young with the proportion of the population under 25 years of age at 31.5 per cent, compared to 29.1 per cent in the EU. However, 20.3 per cent of the Maltese are aged between 50 and 64, significantly higher than the EU average of 17.9 per cent.