There are more men than women in Malta, for the first time since records began

More men are living in Malta than women for the first time in recorded history, with the change believed to be linked to immigration.  

Preliminary data from the 2021 Census shows that the number of women in Malta has risen by 45,000 when compared to 2011, the date of the previous census.

However, that number is dwarfed by the 65,000 increase in the number of men on the islands.

This means that 53% of the Maltese population is male, marking a significant shift from all previous demographic records of the country.

Previously, women always outnumbered men. In 1967 there were 11 women for every 10 men on the islands. Research undertaken by a University of Malta student cited a 1960s fertility study that alleged an even bigger gap between the number of men and women.

The ratio of men to women has been slowly levelling out over the past decades, with men having now overtaken women.

Deputy census officer at the National Statistics Office, Silvan Zammit, said the reversal was fuelled by immigration.  

“The majority of foreigners in Malta, some 60%, are men,” he noted.

Zammit made the further point that even though the gap between men and women has been narrowing for decades, the number...