It's never too late to tie the knot and last year 20 grooms and 13 brides aged 65 and over recited their marriage vows, according to the National Statistics Office.

In all, 2,482 marriages were registered, 34 per cent of which were civil. Most couples tied the knot when they were between 25 and 29 years old, the NSO said in a statement to mark World Population Day today.

The number of separations fell by 18.5 per cent to 519. On the other hand, annulments rose to 188 from 167. Twelve per cent involved couples who had been married for less than five years and 15 per cent had lasted 20 years and over.

Thirty-one divorces were obtained from abroad and recognised locally, four per cent fewer than last year.

According to the statistics, Malta's population last year rose by almost one per cent from the previous year.

The NSO said the population stood at 413,609, with 207,736 women and 205,873 men, of which 23 per cent were under 20 and 14 per cent were aged 65 and over.

The NSO said the changes in population were a result of natural increase - the difference between births and deaths, and migration. Nearly 75 per cent of the population increase was due to immigration.

The number of births rose by 6.6 per cent to 4,126, with boys coming out on top with 52 per cent. Thirty-four per cent of mothers were aged 25 to 29, followed by 31 per cent who postponed motherhood until they were 30 to 34 years. The majority of fathers (35 per cent) were aged 30 to 34. Similarly, deaths rose by four per cent to 3,243. Most had lived to 75 years and over. Unfortunately, infant deaths also rose by nine per cent to 34.

World Population Day is this year geared towards raising awareness about the importance of educating girls in a wide range of development issues, including poverty, human rights and gender equality.