Population and Demographics of Malta
An aging population · 20.21% aged 65 or older in 2024
Older adults account for 20.21% of the population in Malta, while the working-age share is 66.76% and fertility is 1.1. Compared with 2000, the 2024 population is 34.9% larger, showing the scale of the longer shift. By 2050, the medium path points to 535.7 thousand, equivalent to a -0.7% change from the 2024 estimate.
Population Over Time in Malta
Malta's population stood at 0.400M in 2000 and 0.540M in 2024, equivalent to a +34.9% change over that period. By 2050, the medium path reaches 0.536M, which would make the population close to its 2024 size than in 2024. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Looking beyond the headline population number, Malta's 2024 age structure is older. The 65+ share is 20.21%, clearly above the 13.03% under-15 share, while 66.76% fall in the 15 to 64 band. Older adults outnumber children in these broad age bands.
Population by broad age group
Malta's 2024 population is 48.1% female and 51.9% male in the World Bank series. Males exceed females by 3.8 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Males made up 51.9% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 48.1% females.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Annual change of +1.25% is one part of Malta's 2024 profile; fertility of 1.1 is another, within a population where the under-15 and 65-plus shares differ by 7.18 percentage points.
Malta is 34.9% larger than its 2000 population in the 2024 reference year, and the UN medium scenario changes the 2024 total by -0.7% through 2050; neither series alone identifies the separate contributions of births, deaths and migration.
2024 estimate for Malta. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Malta vs. World
Using one 2024 comparison table keeps the context consistent. Malta's population change is higher than the global rate, fertility is below the global level, and its population is older than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | Malta | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +1.25% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.1 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 41 | 30.6 | 2024 |
This comparison avoids mixed-year arithmetic by keeping Malta and the world on the same 2024 harmonized demographic table.
Key Takeaways
Malta has 539,607 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing +1.25% over the year.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 13.03% are under 15 and 20.21% are 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 48.1% female and 51.9% male.
On the medium path, 2050 reaches 0.536M, a -0.7% shift from the 2024 level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Malta?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Malta is 539,607 people.
Is the population of Malta growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Malta's population is growing, with annual change of +1.25%.
What percentage of the population of Malta is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 20.21% of Malta's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Malta in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Malta's 2050 population at 535,721.
What is the fertility rate in Malta?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Malta is 1.1 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.