Malta's fertility rate has dropped markedly over a decade, resulting in a significant decline in the number of children on the island, according to results from the newly released Census of Population and Housing 2005.

Between 1995 and 2005 the average number of children born per mother dropped from 3.0 to 2.6.

As a result, two years ago the number of people aged 0 to 14 years totalled 69,486 - 16.1 per cent less than 10 years before.

The trend was reflected in a higher average age of the population. In November 2005 it stood at 38.5 years, compared to 35.7 years in 1995 and 33.8 in 1985.

The 50 to 64 age group saw a significant 42.5 per cent rise in numbers while the 65 and over age group grew by 28.6 per cent.

The census was taken between November 21 and December 11, 2005, with November 27 being Census Day.

The long-awaited results present a snapshot of the socio-demographic profile of the population in the early years of the 21st century.

They show that the population of Malta swelled to 404,962 by 2005, from 378,132 in 1995 and a mere 114,499 in 1842. The growth since 1995 consists of an extra 13,983 males and 12,847 females.

Marriage between the two appears to have become less popular however. The number of married people was down to 59.2 per cent of people aged 16 years and over, from 62.8 per cent a decade earlier. In 2005, the number of persons who did not marry accounted for just under a third, 30.6 per cent, of the population in this age group.

Married or not, however, the number of mothers has increased, with single motherhood ever on the rise. The 2005 census listed 111,334 mothers, a 14.5 per cent increase over 1995.

In terms of population density, the Northern Harbour District tops the list of districts, accounting for 119,332 persons, or 29.5 per cent of Malta's population.

At the other end of the scale, Gozo and Comino have just 31,007 inhabitants between them, or 7.7 per cent of the population.

The largest increase in population, both in terms of number and proportion, occurred in Malta's Northern District. Whereas the population there totalled 44,852 in 1995, it reached 57,167 in 2005, an increase of 27.5 per cent.

The largest single locality remained Birkirkara, with 21,858 residents, followed by Mosta with 18,735 and Qormi with 16,559.

The smallest locality was still Mdina with 278 residents. Ghasri and San Lawrenz were second and third smallest with 418 and 598 residents respectively.

Marsascala experienced the largest population growth rate, followed by St Paul's Bay. In fact, since 1995, the population of Marsascala has nearly doubled, growing by 4,576, or 95.9 per cent, while that of St Paul's Bay shot up by 6,020, or 81.4 per cent.

The largest proportion in terms of outflow was Mdina's, with 26.3 per cent fewer inhabitants than in the 1995 census.

Hamrun experienced the greatest drop with its population going down to 9,541 in 2005, a decline of 1,654 persons over 1995. The labour force, comprising people aged 15 to 64 years, continued to rise. Persons in this age bracket totalled 279,805, compared to 252,079 in 1995, an increase of 11 per cent.

Over the next few days, The Times will carry a series of reports summarising some of the most salient aspects of the census.