Ivan Camilleri, Brussels
Fewer Maltese in 50 years
Malta’s population is expected to fall by 26,000 by 2060 to well below the 400,000 mark, according to EU projections.
Eurostat, the EU’s statistics arm, estimates that the island will have 387,000 inhabitants in 50 years’ time, from the current 413,000.
At the same time, there will be many more older people. The number of those aged over 80 now amount to 3.3 per cent of the population but by 2060 the proportion will have risen to 11 per cent. In the age group of those over 65, the growth will be even higher, from 15 per cent to 31 per cent.
The European Union’s population is expected to grow to 517 million in 2060 from the current 501 million.
However, the projections show stark differences among member states. The strongest population growth is expected in Ireland (+46 per cent), Luxembourg (+45 per cent), Cyprus (+41 per cent), the UK (+27 per cent), Belgium (+24 per cent) and Sweden (+23 per cent), and the sharpest declines in Bulgaria (-27 per cent), Latvia (-26 per cent), Lithuania (-20 per cent), Romania and Germany (both -19 per cent).
In 2060, the member states with the largest populations in the EU will be the UK (79 million), France (74 mn), Germany (66 mn), Italy (65 mn) and Spain (52 mn).
At the moment, Germany has the largest population at 81 million.
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11 Comments
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Colin Stanley
Jun 14th 2011, 17:26
maybe the goverment, (who ever it may be. ) should encourage people to marry at a younger age, and help them more if they have a lot of children.
Bud Moureaux - Flanders (BE) & Xemxija, SPB (MT)
Jun 14th 2011, 15:10
A trivial thought.
I wonder whether the introduction of civil divorce in Malta could help to counter this fall in population?
Just referring to the population growth expected in Ireland (+46 per cent) ... where civil divorce was introduced in the 90's. Alternatively some healthy young Irishmen could settle in Malta. But then, where does that leave the virility of the Maltese young men?
Again, just a trivial thought!
Mr mike Knight
Jun 13th 2011, 16:37
Yeah right i suppose with all the stress and the high inflation, most are doing themselves in.
Mr M Briffa Viva malta
Jun 14th 2011, 11:04
Could it be worries over the so many hundreds of empty properties that NOBODY WANTS or can afford to buy and gradually seeing their invsted capital going down the drain where it belongs for poor planning and specualtions, glad its them and no I, i have a life to live and not worry about money, accountants and filling up tax forms.
Adele Mintoff
Jun 13th 2011, 15:12
THAT'S GOOD NEWS!!! Could do with much less too. Less people, less cars and it would be Bliss in Malta. We are overpopulated and the amount of cars on this small rock is sickening. Malta is one hell of a jungle (a concrete jungle).
Louise Busuttil
Jun 13th 2011, 13:25
I wonder where the 387,000 figure comes from... http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tps00002&plugin=1
Mr Emanuel Vella
Jun 13th 2011, 10:53
And meanwhile we keep building more and more housing units as if there is no tomorrow.............
Mr Angelo Camilleri
Jun 13th 2011, 10:38
love to know how they come up with these figures, i suppose i will never get to know the truth as i wont be here in 2060!!
Mr Joe Gatt
Jun 13th 2011, 10:12
Lets hope so.
All depends on how, the Illegal Imigration issue is addressed,
We may very well have the opposite result?
Stephen Koludrovic
Jun 13th 2011, 11:27
@ joe Gatt,
Regrettably my earlier comment was edited, however I agree, yours is the more probable result.
Mr Tony Camilleri
Jun 13th 2011, 14:32
Horray, are they sending back the illegal immigrants?