Wikipedia

Immigration to Malta

(Redirected from Asylum in Malta)

Foreign population in Malta
Year Population % total
2005 12,112 3.0%
2011 20,289 4.9%
2012 23,365 5.5%
2021 115,449 22.2%
2022 137,376 25.3%
2023 153,361 31.5%
Not to be confused with emigration from Malta.

Immigration to Malta has increased significantly over the past decade. In 2011, immigration contributed to 4.9% of the total population of the Maltese islands in 2011, i.e. 20,289 persons of non-Maltese citizenship, of whom 643 were born in Malta. In 2011, most of migrants in Malta were EU citizens (12,215 or 60.2 per cent), predominantly from the United Kingdom (6,652 persons).[citation needed]

By the beginning of 2021, figures released by Malta's National Statistics Office showed that 20% of Maltese residents, or 103,718 people were foreigners.[1][2] According to Malta's national employment agency, 70,402 of these non Maltese nationals were employed. Workers from EU countries made up 44% of the employed foreigners resident in Malta, while non-EU nationals represented 56% of Malta's foreign workforce.[2] As of September 2021, foreign workers made up 27.9% of Malta's total workforce.[3] The top employer for these foreign workers is the gambling and betting sector, which in Malta is made up of 58.6% of non-Maltese nationals.[3]

Demographically, non-Maltese residents in Malta are predominantly males (52.5%) and younger than average (40.6 years of average age).[citation needed]

As of the end of 2020, the most popular location for foreigners to live in Malta was St Paul's Bay, where non-Maltese nationals made up 52% of the population.[2] Sliema also has a substantial foreign population, with 43% of residents holding foreign passports as of the end of 2020.[2]

History of immigration to Malta

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An early photograph of a Maltese Jewish family taken in Valletta, Malta
 
A photo thought to show some of the Russian refugees of 1919 in Malta. Some stayed at St Ignatius College, others at Tigne Barracks and Maria Feodorovna, her daughter and their entourage stayed at San Anton Palace
 
Turkish Military Cemetery in Marsa, Malta
 
Mariam Al-Batool Mosque in Paola, Malta
 
Destiny Chukunyere, second-generation Nigerian-Maltese
Main articles: Jews in Malta, Armenians in Malta, Greeks in Malta, and Indian Maltese

The current Maltese people, characterised by the use of the Maltese language and by Roman Catholicism, is the descendant - through much mixing and hybridation via different waves of immigration - of the Siculo-Arabic colonists who repopulated the Maltese islands in the beginning of the second millennium after a two-century lapse of depopulation that followed the Arab conquest by the Aghlabids in AD 870.[4][5] A genetic study by Capelli et al. indicates that Malta was barely inhabited at the turn of the tenth century and was likely to have been repopulated by settlers from Sicily and Calabria who spoke Siculo-Arabic, the progenitor of modern Maltese.[6][5] This is consistent with linguistic finding of no further sub-stratas beyond Arabic in the Maltese language, a very rare occurrence which may only be explained by a drastic lapse. Previous inhabitants of the islands - Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines - did not leave any traces, as all place names were lost and replaced. Modern historiography thus contest the traditional "Christian continuity thesis", positing instead a period of total depopulation of Malta at the end of the late antiquity.[7]

The Maltese islands remained largely Muslim-inhabited long after the end of Arab rule. The Arab administration was also kept in place[8] and Muslims were allowed to practise their religion freely until the 13th century.[9] As a result of this favourable environment, Muslims continued to demographically and economically dominate Malta for at least another 150 years after the Christian conquest.[10]

Between 1194 and 1530, the Kingdom of Sicily ruled the Maltese islands and a process of full latinisation started in Malta. The conquest of the Normans would lead to the gradual Romanization and Latinization of the Siculo-Arabic Muslim population of Malta, and the subsequent firm establishment of Roman Catholicism.[11][12] Until 1224, however, there remained a strong Muslim segment of society. By the end of the 15th century all Maltese Muslims would be forced to convert to Christianity and had to find ways to disguise their previous identities by Latinizing or adopting new surnames.[13]

After the Norman conquest, the population of the Maltese islands kept growing mainly through immigration from the north (Sicily and Italy), with the exile to Malta of the entire male population of the town of Celano (Italy) in 1223 (though most of them returned home few years later), the stationing of a Norman (Swabian) and Sicilian garrison on Malta in 1240, the arrival of several thousands Aragonese soldiers in 1283 to 1425, and the settlement in Malta of noble families from Sicily and the Crown of Aragon between 1372 and 1450. As a consequence of this, Capelli et al. found in 2005 that "the contemporary males of Malta most likely originated from Southern Italy, including Sicily and up to Calabria."[14]

Malta was then ruled by the Order of Saint John as a vassal state of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1530 to 1798. For the next 275 years, these famous "Knights of Malta" made the island their domain and made the Italian language official. The members of the Order came from the various noble families of Europe, thus providing Malta with a steady influx of affluent immigrants. Together with the Knights, in 1530, 400 (or up to several thousands according to other sources) Rhodian sailors, soldiers and slaves moved to Malta, possibly bringing along the few Byzantine words in Maltese language. Further immigration of several thousand Greek-rite Christians from Sicily in 1551 and again in 1566 may also have helped.

The 19th and first half of the 20th century were for Malta marked by membership in the British Empire. Its excellent harbours became a prized asset for the British, especially after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The island became a military and naval fortress, the headquarters of the British Mediterranean fleet, with some 22,000 British servicemen posted in Malta from 1807 to 1979,[15] as well as other British and Irish that settled in Malta over the decades. The islands also saw a steady influx of labourers from the other parts of the Empire, such as Indian textile traders from Sindh (see: Indians in Malta). In the same period, the learned class of Maltese society often identified with the Italians, particularly from the late 19th century Risorgimento period up to the Second World War (see: Italian irredentism in Malta). Up to 891 Italian exiles also sought refuge in Malta in the late 19th century.

At the same time, overpopulation and poverty pushed the Maltese to emigrate well into the 1960s and 70s, particularly to other British colonies such as Australia, South Africa, Canada and Egypt, but also to Great Britain, Gibraltar, Corfu and the United States.

The late 20th century saw the independence of Malta. Since this period, retired British servicemen and their families constitute the greatest part of foreign residents in Malta. Since 1959, Malta's British governor started to pursue a plan of economic development based on promoting tourism and tax competition, particularly offering very low tax rates on pensions, royalties and dividends to attract retired British settlers (referred to as 'sixpenny settlers') from other former colonies of the Empire. Malta saw a large influx of Britons from Rhodesia after 1967.[16]

Closer links to Qaddafi's Libya since the 1970s saw a growth of Libyans in Malta, while around 800 Ugandan Indians were resettled in Malta after they had been expelled by Idi Amin in 1972. In the early 1990s Malta was a first stop for refugees from Iraq and Kuwait during the first Gulf War, later often resettled to North America. Landing of Sub-Saharan asylum seekers grew from 2001 onwards, particularly of citizens of Somalia, Nigeria, Eritrea

Membership of the European Union in 2004 led to the growth of a community of Maltese in Belgium, while skilled workers from other EU (Italy, Bulgaria, Germany, Sweden) and non-EU countries (Serbia, Pakistan) moved to Malta to contribute to the growing industries, from construction to hotel services, banking and ICT. Malta's EU accession also prompted a renewed public discussion about Maltese identity and its role of bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean. As noted by Schembri in 2004, the Maltese tended to stress their belonging to Europe as a way of distinguishing themselves from North Africans, and the public debate on immigration has reflected entrenched xenophobic stereotypes. The public attitudes of the Maltese towards both North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans - including refugees and asylum seekers - have worsened over time, paralleled by the government's strict detention policies for irregular migrants.[17]

Among the main immigrant communities in Malta:

  • The Indian community in Malta (l-Indjani) was composed in 2007 of around 300 persons (45 families) stemming from the town of Hyderabad, Sindh (in today's Pakistan). They are Maltese citizens and reside in Malta since British times, originally as textile traders.[17]
  • The Arab community counted around 3,000 persons in 2007, mostly originally from Libya and today Maltese citizens. The presence of the Libyans in Malta, with the only mosque of the island (Mariam Al-Batool Mosque in Paola, Malta), amounts to the good relations between the Qaddafi and Mintoff governments in the 1970s and 1980s.[17]
  • The Albanians in Malta are a small community, originally arriving as refugees in 1999, when UNHCR resettled 110 persons from Kosovo to Malta.[17]
  • Nigerians in Malta are one of the most visible communities of recent immigration, despite their relatively low number. Several of them are football players in the island's over 50 football clubs. (see Ndubisi Chukunyere and his daughter Destiny)[17]

Legislation

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Immigration to Malta is mainly regulated by the Immigration Act and by the Asylum Act. The Immigration Act, passed in 1970, was reformed in the run-up to Malta's EU accession, in 2000 and 2002, in order to align it with the EU acquis. Maltese law maintains a rigid protectionist approach to labour migration. A Work Permit Scheme permits immigrants to reside and work in the country for a certain period of time, if their skills are absent locally or in short supply. Permits are issued by the Department for Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs. Applications are examined by a cross-governmental board in a process taking three to four months. Permits are usually yearly and can be renovated; applications for renewal should be submitted five months in advance. Foreign investors holding substantial shares in the manufacturing or financial services can apply for indefinite-time permits of stay.

Work permits holders in Malta were 2,928 in 2003, of which 813 women. Most of them were issued to British citizens (387), then to "Yugoslavs"(306), Chinese (232), Indians (166), Bulgarians (146), Italians (143), Libyans (141).[17]

The number of residence and work permits delivered by the Maltese authorities has steadily grown since, in particular under the Labour governments since 2013, from 653 in 2014 to 32,106 in 2021, with an average of 17,000 and a cumulative total of 134,324 in the 2014-2021 period.[18]

Residence permits delivered by Malta[18]

Non-Maltese residents in Malta

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At the 2005 census, the non-Maltese population numbered 12,112 (3.0% of the total population). It grew to 20,289 (4.9%) at the 2011 census, and to 115,449 (22.2%) at the 2021 census.

Of these, in 2005 people with British (4,713), Italian (585), German (518) and Libyan (493) citizenship were most common.[19]

In 2011, the main foreign place of birth of residents in Malta included the United Kingdom (10,480) and other former British colonies like Canada (1,766) and Australia (4,354), as well as Italy (1,511), USA (1,246), Somalia (1,003) and Germany (951).[20]

In 2021, the main communities included residents born in the UK (15,082), Italy (13,361), India (7,946), the Philippines (7,784) and Serbia (5,935).[21]

The citizenship of resident foreign nationals is shown below:[22]

The most common foreign places of birth for all residents are shown below:

Place of birth 2005 census[19] 2011 census[20][23] 2021 census[21]
  United Kingdom 4,713 10,480 15,082
  Australia 4,354 4,671
  Canada 1,766
   Italy 585 1,511 13,361
  USA 1,246
  Somalia 1,003
   Germany 518 951
  Russia 918 2,946
   Bulgaria 875 2,945
  Libya 493 776 3,696
   Romania 656
  Serbia 534 5,935
  Eritrea 507
  Philippines 464 7,784
  Egypt 454
   Sweden 450 4000*
   France 417
   Netherlands 412
  China 347
  Ethiopia 332
  India 7,946
Other EU Member States 21,922
Other European Countries 10,685
Other Countries 36,309

*Based on a separate 2022 census[24]

Visa policy

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As an EU member state and a party to the Schengen Agreement, Malta applies the EU's visa policy. This means that to enter the country:

Asylum seekers

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USS San Antonio rescued 128 men adrift in an inflatable raft after responding to a call by the Maltese Government. 17 October 2013.

Historically Malta gave refuge (and assisted in their resettlement) to eight hundred or so East African Asians who had been expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin and to just under a thousand Iraqis fleeing Saddam Hussein's regime. In 1990–1991, Malta hosted a number of Iraqi asylum-seekers, that were later resettled elsewhere, especially in North America.[29]

A Refugee Act was passed in Malta only in 2001, replacing the Catholic Church-based Emigrant Commission, which had till then partnered with UNHCR. The Refugee Act implement Malta's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, establishing a Refugee Commission (REFCOM). In its first year of implementation, the commission had to deal with 1,680 asylum seekers who reached Malta by boat in 2002. Persons who are recognised asylum or humanitarian protection are issued a residence permit and, upon request, a work permit.[17]

As from 2001, Malta has received a high number of landings of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom were entitled to international protection. 2006 and 2007 saw about 1800 arriving each year.[30] Landings included 1173 people in 2009, 28 in 2010, 1577 in 2011, 2023 in 2012, and 741 up to mid July 2013.[31] Most of such persons were then resettled elsewhere in Europe or North America. Around 45% of immigrants landed in Malta have been granted refugee (5%) or protected humanitarian status (40%). A White Paper suggesting the grant of Maltese citizenship to refugees resident in Malta for over ten years was issued in 2005.

Between 2008 and 2012 Malta received, on average, the highest number of asylum seekers compared to its national population: 21.7 applicants per 1,000 inhabitants.[32] In 2011, most of these asylum applications were submitted by nationals of Somalia, Nigeria, Eritrea and Syria.[33] In 2012, more than half of the requests were by Somalian nationals alone.[34] During this period, Malta was criticized for its reception of asylum seekers, particularly those who were accommodated in open and closed reception centres (often referred to as "detention centers").[35]

As a member of the European Union and of the Schengen agreement, Malta is bound by the Dublin Regulation to process all claims for asylum by those asylum seekers that enter EU territory for the first time in Malta.[36]

Asylum applications in Malta[37]
Decisions on asylum status in Malta (total number)[37]
Decisions on asylum status in Malta (total positive outcome
Geneva Convention status, humanitarian status, subsidiary protection)[37]

Irregular migration

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Immigrants at the Ħal Far refugee camp.

Since the late 20th century, Malta has become a transit country for migration routes from Africa towards Europe.[38] The estimated net inflow (using data for 2002 to 2004) was of 1,913 persons yearly. Over the last 10 years, Malta accepted back a yearly average of 425 returning emigrants.[39] During 2006, 1,800 irregular migrants reached Malta making the crossing from the North African coast. Most of them intended to reach mainland Europe and happened to come to Malta due to their sub-standard vessels breaking down or being caught by Maltese and other EU officials.[40][41] In the first half of 2006, 967 irregular immigrants arrived in Malta – almost double the 473 who arrived in the same period in 2005.[42] Many immigrants have perished in the journey across the Mediterranean, with one notable incident being the May 2007 Malta migrant boat disaster. Since that time, there have been several additional boat sinkings, and only as recently as April 2015, some 700 immigrants perished en route to Italy when their boat capsized.[43] During 2014 alone, approximately 3,500 migrants drowned in their attempt to reach Europe.[44]

Very few migrants arrived in Malta in 2015, despite the fact that the rest of Europe was experiencing an acute migrant crisis during that period. Most migrants who were rescued between Libya and Malta were taken to Italy, and some refused to be brought to Malta.[45]

Malta has in the past considered adopting a push-back policy towards approaching migrants, pushing their boats back to Libya.[46] Such a policy, contrary to international law and the principle of non-refoulement, has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights in a case against Italy, as it does not allow prospective asylum seekers to file their claims for international protection.[47]

Irregular migrants (formal Maltese: immigranti irregolari, informal: klandestini) who land in Malta are subject to a compulsory detention policy, being held in several camps organised by the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM), including those near Ħal Far and Ħal Safi. The compulsory detention policy has been denounced by several NGOs, and in July 2010, the European Court of Human Rights found that Malta's detention of migrants was arbitrary, lacking in adequate procedures to challenge detention, and in breach of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.[48][49] Detention costs for the first half of 2006 cost €746,385.[50]

In 2005, Malta sought EU aid in relation to reception of irregular immigrants, repatriation of those denied refugee status, resettlement of refugees into EU countries and maritime security.[51] In December 2005, the European Council adopted The Global Approach to Migration: Priority Actions focusing on Africa and the Mediterranean; but the deployment of said actions has been limited to the western Mediterranean, thus putting further pressure on the Central Mediterranean route for irregular immigration of which Malta forms a part.[citation needed]

On September 7, 2020, Amnesty International alleged that the Government of Malta used "illegal tactics" against immigrants for dealing with the arrival of refugees from the sea. Under these escalation of tactics Maltese authorities may have involved criminal acts being committed, resulting in avoidable deaths, prolonged arbitrary detention and illegal returns to war-torn Libya.[52] The criticism came after an incident in July 2020 where Maltese authorities took 33 hours to mount a rescue mission after receiving a distress call from a dinghy carrying 95 migrants from Eritrea.[53]

Investment-based citizenship policy

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In January 2014 Malta started granting citizenship for a €650,000 contribution plus investments, contingent on residence and criminal background requirements,[54] under the Individual Investor Programme.[55] Henley & Partners was originally appointed as sole agent for managing the policy, but the Maltese government later opened the scheme to Maltese firms too. The procedure is managed formally by the governmental agency Identity Malta.[56]

The number and background of persons granted Maltese citizenship based on investment is unknown, as the Maltese government does not publish such data. Malta's Data Protection Commissioner confirmed that the publication of the number of passport buyers and their country of origin "may prejudice relations with a number of the countries of origin" and that revealing the agencies that handled their application "could reasonably be expected to prejudice commercial interests and, ultimately, the competitiveness of approved agents as it would reveal commercially-sensitive information".[56]

The list of persons who were naturalised Maltese in the year 2015[57] includes over 900 names (listed by first name) without indication of previous/second citizenships and of reasons for naturalisation. This was criticised as not transparent enough.[58] Many of the names are typical Arab, Russian, and Chinese names. Most "investors" are understood to be interested in acquiring Maltese citizenship only as a tool to exploit EU citizenship rights and reside elsewhere in the Union, including the UK.[58] The European Parliament had objected to the programme as a sell-out of EU citizenship.[59]

The income from Malta's passport sale amounted to €163.5 million in 2016. Of this, 70% is deposited in the National Development and Social Fund (NDSF), which was set up in July 2016 for general use by the government of Malta.[60]

Foreigners in Malta per locality

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Immigration to Malta grew significantly from 2005 to 2011, though remaining marginal overall (from 3% to 5% of the total population). The impact of immigration was also geographically diversified. Urban centres in the Northern Harbour where immigrant presence was already relevant saw a growth (2,095 residents in Sliema, from 10% to 15%; Gzira from 6 to 10%) while other areas quickly turned into immigrant residence areas (1,172 residents in St Julian's, from 1% to 14.5%). The Southern Harbour area was less affected, though immigrant population also grew, particularly in Paola (from 1% to 4.8%), Vittoriosa (from 1.5% to 3.3%), Valletta (from 1.8% to 3.1%), Marsa (from 1.5% to 3%), and Floriana (from 1.8% to 3%). In the South, Birżebbuġa saw non-Maltese population swell from 3% to 19% (1,986 residents). In the north, St Paul's Bay remains the area with the highest absolute number of non-Maltese resident (3,023, or 18.5%).

The 2011-2021 decade saw the number of foreigners in Malta increase five times, from 20,289 to 115,449, i.e. from 4.9% to 22.2% of the total population of the islands. Almost half of the foreign population lives in the Northern Harbour area (52,420 persons), where in certain localities foreign residents now outnumber (Msida, Gżira) or almost equalise (Sliema, St. Julian's) Maltese citizens. In the north, St. Paul's Bay has doubled its population in a decade, becoming Malta's most populous locality with 32,042 residents, of which over half are foreign citizens.

2005 and 2011 censuses

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2005 % foreigners % 2011 % foreigners %
MALTA 404,962 12,112 2,99% 417,432 20,289 4.86%
Malta 373,955 92.34% 10,972 2.93% 386,057 92.48% 18,932 4.90%
Gozo and Comino 31,007 7.66% 1,140 3.68% 31,375 7.52% 1,357 4.33%
Southern Harbour 81,047 20.01% 827 1.02% 79,438 19.03% 1,542 1.94%
Cospicua 5,657 1.40% 67 1.18% 5,249 1.26% 91 1.73%
Fgura 11,258 2.78% 96 0.85% 11,449 2.74% 167 1.46%
Floriana 2,240 0.55% 40 1.79% 2,014 0.48% 62 3.08%
Ħal Luqa 6,072 1.50% 50 0.82% 5,911 1.42% 89 1.51%
Ħal Tarxien 7,597 1.88% 58 0.76% 8,380 2.01% 85 1.01%
Ħaż‐Żabbar 14,671 3.62% 77 0.52% 14,916 3.57% 101 0.68%
Kalkara 2,882 0.71% 20 0.69% 2,946 0.71% 51 1.73%
Marsa 5,344 1.32% 80 1.50% 4,788 1.15% 147 3.07%
Paola 8,822 2.18% 87 0.99% 8,267 1.98% 395 4.78%
Santa Luċija 3,186 0.79% 19 0.60% 2,970 0.71% 19 0.64%
Senglea 3,074 0.76% 55 1.79% 2,740 0.66% 52 1.90%
Valletta 6,300 1.56% 114 1.81% 5,748 1.38% 178 3.10%
Vittoriosa 2,701 0.67% 40 1.48% 2,489 0.60% 82 3.29%
Xgħajra 1,243 0.31% 24 1.93% 1,571 0.38% 23 1.46%
Northern Harbour 119,332 29.47% 4,996 4.19% 120,449 28.85% 7,768 6.45%
Birkirkara 21,858 5.40% 306 1.40% 21,749 5.21% 451 2.07%
Gżira 7,090 1.75% 404 5.70% 7,055 1.69% 756 10.72%
Ħal Qormi 16,559 4.09% 95 0.57% 16,394 3.93% 132 0.81%
Ħamrun 9,541 2.36% 109 1.14% 9,043 2.17% 184 2.03%
Msida 7,629 1.88% 401 5.26% 7,748 1.86% 737 9.51%
Pembroke 2,935 0.72% 52 1.77% 3,488 0.84% 142 4.07%
San Ġwann 12,737 3.15% 517 4.06% 12,152 2.91% 536 4.41%
Santa Venera 6,075 1.50% 735 12.10% 6,789 1.63% 142 2.09%
St Julian's 7,752 1.91% 71 0.92% 8,067 1.93% 1,172 14.53%
Swieqi 8,208 2.03% 702 8.55% 8,755 2.10% 995 11.36%
Ta' Xbiex 1,860 0.46% 116 6.24% 1,556 0.37% 113 7.26%
Tal‐Pietà 3,846 0.95% 150 3.90% 4,032 0.97% 313 7.76%
Tas‐Sliema 13,242 3.27% 1,338 10.10% 13,621 3.26% 2,095 15.38%
South Eastern 59,371 14.66% 1,042 1.76% 64,276 15.40% 3,130 4.87%
Birżebbuġa 8,564 2.11% 272 3.18% 10,412 2.49% 1,986 19.07%
Gudja 2,923 0.72% 19 0.65% 2,994 0.72% 24 0.80%
Ħal Għaxaq 4,405 1.09% 26 0.59% 4,577 1.10% 43 0.94%
Ħal Kirkop 2,185 0.54% 8 0.37% 2,283 0.55% 18 0.79%
Ħal Safi 1,979 0.49% 32 1.62% 2,074 0.50% 50 2.41%
Marsaskala 9,346 2.31% 445 4.76% 11,059 2.65% 672 6.08%
Marsaxlokk 3,222 0.80% 44 1.37% 3,366 0.81% 68 2.02%
Mqabba 3,021 0.75% 24 0.79% 3,223 0.77% 26 0.81%
Qrendi 2,535 0.63% 27 1.07% 2,667 0.64% 47 1.76%
Żejtun 11,410 2.82% 73 0.64% 11,334 2.72% 92 0.81%
Żurrieq 9,781 2.42% 72 0.74% 10,287 2.46% 104 1.01%
Western 57,038 14.08% 807 1.41% 58,129 13.93% 1,253 2.16%
Ħ'Attard 10,405 2.57% 157 1.51% 10,553 2.53% 217 2.06%
Ħad‐Dingli 3,347 0.83% 26 0.78% 3,511 0.84% 36 1.03%
Ħal Balzan 3,869 0.96% 94 2.43% 4,101 0.98% 286 6.97%
Ħal Lija 2,797 0.69% 69 2.47% 2,977 0.71% 105 3.53%
Ħaż‐Żebbuġ 11,292 2.79% 114 1.01% 11,580 2.77% 154 1.33%
Iklin 3,220 0.80% 43 1.34% 3,169 0.76% 63 1.99%
Mdina 278 0.07% 11 3.96% 239 0.06% 12 5.02%
Mtarfa 2,426 0.60% 30 1.24% 2,585 0.62% 28 1.08%
Rabat 11,473 2.83% 180 1.57% 11,212 2.69% 245 2.19%
Siġġiewi 7,931 1.96% 83 1.05% 8,202 1.96% 107 1.30%
Northern 57,167 14.12% 3,300 5.77% 63,765 15.28% 5,239 8.22%
Ħal Għargħur 2,352 0.58% 62 2.64% 2,605 0.62% 121 4.64%
Mellieħa 7,676 1.90% 621 8.09% 8,661 2.07% 946 10.92%
Mġarr 3,014 0.74% 50 1.66% 3,479 0.83% 97 2.79%
Mosta 18,735 4.63% 329 1.76% 19,750 4.73% 480 2.43%
Naxxar 11,978 2.96% 392 3.27% 12,875 3.08% 572 4.44%
St Paul's Bay 13,412 3.31% 1,846 13.76% 16,395 3.93% 3,023 18.44%
Gozo and Comino 31,007 7.66% 1,140 3.68% 31,375 7.52% 1,357 4.33%
Fontana 850 0.21% 16 1.88% 882 0.21% 14 1.59%
Għajnsielem 2,570 0.63% 93 3.62% 2,645 0.63% 112 4.23%
Għarb 1,146 0.28% 86 7.50% 1,196 0.29% 116 9.70%
Għasri 418 0.10% 30 7.18% 431 0.10% 40 9.28%
Munxar 1,052 0.26% 106 10.08% 1,068 0.26% 94 8.80%
Nadur 4,192 1.04% 126 3.01% 3,973 0.95% 112 2.82%
Qala 1,616 0.40% 78 4.83% 1,811 0.43% 130 7.18%
San Lawrenz 598 0.15% 28 4.68% 610 0.15% 39 6.39%
Ta' Kerċem 1,665 0.41% 50 3.00% 1,718 0.41% 65 3.78%
Ta' Sannat 1,725 0.43% 86 4.99% 1,837 0.44% 79 4.30%
Victoria 6,395 1.58% 102 1.59% 6,252 1.50% 163 2.61%
Xagħra 3,934 0.97% 193 4.91% 3,968 0.95% 212 5.34%
Xewkija 3,111 0.77% 30 0.96% 3,143 0.75% 56 1.78%
Żebbuġ 1,735 0.43% 116 6.69% 1,841 0.44% 125 6.79%

2011 and 2021 censuses

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Total population 2011 2021
Maltese Non Maltese Total Maltese Non Maltese Total
MALTA 397,143 20,289 417,432 404,113 115,449 519,562
Malta 367,125 18,932 386,057 372,488 107,787 480,275
Gozo and Comino 30,018 1,357 31,375 31,625 7,662 39,287
Southern Harbour 77,896 1,542 79,438 75,098 10,911 86,009
Bormla 5,158 91 5,249 4,217 437 4,654
Floriana 1,952 62 2,014 1,638 347 1,985
Ħal Luqa 5,822 89 5,911 6,197 1,052 7,249
Ħal Tarxien 8,295 85 8,380 8,631 833 9,464
Ħaż-Żabbar 14,815 101 14,916 16,030 1,118 17,148
Il-Birgu 2,407 82 2,489 1,959 302 2,261
Il-Fgura 11,282 167 11,449 11,365 1,701 13,066
Il-Kalkara 2,895 51 2,946 2,793 312 3,105
Il-Marsa 4,641 147 4,788 4,035 1,433 5,468
Ix-Xgħajra 1,548 23 1,571 1,836 356 2,192
L-Isla 2,688 52 2,740 2,049 255 2,304
Raħal Ġdid 7,872 395 8,267 7,311 2,028 9,339
Santa Luċija 2,951 19 2,970 2,551 66 2,617
Valletta 5,570 178 5,748 4,486 671 5,157
Northern Harbour 112,681 7,768 120,449 104,877 52,420 157,297
Birkirkara 21,298 451 21,749 20,636 5,171 25,807
Ħal Qormi 16,262 132 16,394 15,963 2,136 18,099
Il-Gżira 6,299 756 7,055 4,930 5,401 10,331
Il-Ħamrun 8,859 184 9,043 7,970 2,544 10,514
Is-Swieqi 7,760 995 8,755 7,825 5,219 13,044
L-Imsida 7,011 737 7,748 6,094 7,493 13,587
Pembroke 3,346 142 3,488 3,096 449 3,545
San Ġiljan 6,895 1,172 8,067 5,899 5,754 11,653
San Ġwann 11,616 536 12,152 10,757 3,487 14,244
Santa Venera 6,647 142 6,789 7,094 1,740 8,834
Ta' Xbiex 1,443 113 1,556 1,323 769 2,092
Tal-Pieta' 3,719 313 4,032 3,240 2,652 5,892
Tas-Sliema 11,526 2,095 13,621 10,050 9,605 19,655
South Eastern 61,146 3,130 64,276 66,512 11,436 77,948
Birżebbuġa 8,426 1,986 10,412 8,419 3,425 11,844
Ħal Għaxaq 4,534 43 4,577 5,190 348 5,538
Ħal Kirkop 2,265 18 2,283 2,390 137 2,527
Ħal Safi 2,024 50 2,074 2,211 430 2,641
Il-Gudja 2,970 24 2,994 3,004 225 3,229
Il-Qrendi 2,620 47 2,667 2,955 193 3,148
Iż-Żejtun 11,242 92 11,334 11,772 637 12,409
Iż-Żurrieq 10,183 104 10,287 11,546 749 12,295
L-Imqabba 3,197 26 3,223 3,384 141 3,525
Marsaskala 10,387 672 11,059 12,157 4,647 16,804
Marsaxlokk 3,298 68 3,366 3,484 504 3,988
Western 56,876 1,253 58,129 59,527 5,739 65,266
Ħad-Dingli 3,475 36 3,511 3,765 100 3,865
Ħal Balzan 3,815 286 4,101 3,949 825 4,774
Ħal Lija 2,872 105 2,977 2,872 290 3,162
Ħ'Attard 10,336 217 10,553 10,885 1,383 12,268
Ħaż-Żebbuġ 11,426 154 11,580 12,521 1,264 13,785
Ir-Rabat 10,967 245 11,212 11,016 920 11,936
Is-Siġġiewi 8,095 107 8,202 8,846 472 9,318
L-Iklin 3,106 63 3,169 2,997 402 3,399
L-Imdina 227 12 239 161 32 193
L-Imtarfa 2,557 28 2,585 2,515 51 2,566
Northern 58,526 5,239 63,765 66,474 27,281 93,755
Ħal Għargħur 2,484 121 2,605 3,238 503 3,741
Il-Mellieħa 7,715 946 8,661 9,211 3,527 12,738
Il-Mosta 19,270 480 19,750 20,632 2,850 23,482
In-Naxxar 12,303 572 12,875 14,251 2,661 16,912
L-Imġarr 3,382 97 3,479 4,382 458 4,840
San Pawl Il-Baħar 13,372 3,023 16,395 14,760 17,282 32,042
Gozo and Comino 30,018 1,357 31,375 31,625 7,662 39,287
Għajnsielem and Comino 2,533 112 2,645 2,877 646 3,523
Il-Fontana 868 14 882 894 148 1,042
Il-Munxar 974 94 1,068 1,088 619 1,707
Il-Qala 1,681 130 1,811 1,864 436 2,300
In-Nadur 3,861 112 3,973 3,905 643 4,548
Ir-Rabat, Għawdex 6,089 163 6,252 5,839 1,403 7,242
Ix-Xagħra 3,756 212 3,968 4,251 910 5,161
Ix-Xewkija 3,087 56 3,143 3,064 491 3,555
Iż-Żebbuġ 1,716 125 1,841 1,932 1,371 3,303
L-Għarb 1,080 116 1,196 1,213 336 1,549
L-Għasri 391 40 431 424 94 518
San Lawrenz 571 39 610 625 147 772
Ta' Kerċem 1,653 65 1,718 1,704 177 1,881
Ta' Sannat 1,758 79 1,837 1,945 241 2,186

Notable Maltese people of foreign descent

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Armenian-Maltese
Australian-Maltese
British-Maltese
Canadian-Maltese
Danish-Maltese
French-Maltese
German-Maltese
Greek-Maltese
Irish-Maltese
Italian-Maltese
Jewish-Maltese
Moroccan-Maltese
Nigerian-Maltese
Palestinian-Maltese
Serbian-Maltese
Slovenian-Maltese
Spanish-Maltese
Swedish-Maltese

Notable foreign citizens living and working in Malta

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Albanians in Malta
Argentinians in Malta
Brazilians in Malta
British in Malta
Cameroonians in Malta
Colombians in Malta
Congolese (D.R.C.) in Malta
Czechoslovaks in Malta
Dutch in Malta
Germans in Malta
Irish in Malta
Italians in Malta
Ivorians in Malta
Japanese in Malta
Lithuanians in Malta
Nigerians in Malta
Poles in Malta
Romanians in Malta
Senegalese in Malta
Serbians in Malta
Slovaks in Malta
Trinidadians in Malta
Ukrainians in Malta

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Muscat, Gavin (2021-05-18). "20% of Malta's residents are foreigners". Newsbook. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  2. ^ a b c d "Working in the shadows: population figures contradict claims of foreign exodus". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  3. ^ a b "A quarter of Malta's workforce are foreign nationals". Times of Malta. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  4. ^ "Gozo". IslandofGozo.org. 7 October 2007. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008.
  5. ^ a b So who are the 'real' Maltese. 14 September 2014. There's a gap between 800 and 1200 where there is no record of civilisation. It doesn't mean the place was completely uninhabited. There may have been a few people living here and there, but not much........The Arab influence on the Maltese language is not a result of Arab rule in Malta, Prof. Felice said. The influence is probably indirect, since the Arabs raided the island and left no-one behind, except for a few people. There are no records of civilisation of any kind at the time. The kind of Arabic used in the Maltese language is most likely derived from the language spoken by those that repopulated the island from Sicily in the early second millennium; it is known as Siculo-Arab. The Maltese are mostly descendants of these people.
  6. ^ Genetic Origin of Contemporary Maltese People. 5 August 2007. Repopulation is likely to have occurred by a clan or clans (possibly of Arab or Arab-like speaking people) from neighbouring Sicily and Calabria. Possibly, they could have mixed with minute numbers of residual inhabitants, with a constant input of immigrants from neighbouring countries and later, even from afar. There seems to be little input from North Africa.
  7. ^ Yosanne Vella, Wettinger has been vindicated, but why do historians still disagree?, Malta Today, 7 July 2015
  8. ^ Krueger, Hilmar C. (1969). "Conflict in the Mediterranean before the First Crusade: B. The Italian Cities and the Arabs before 1095". In Baldwin, M. W. (ed.). A History of the Crusades, vol. I: The First Hundred Years. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 40–53.
  9. ^ Arab Heritage in Malta | The Baheyeldin Dynasty
  10. ^ Stefan Goodwin (1 Jan 2002). "2 (Islam and Realignments)". Malta, Mediterranean Bridge (illustrated ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 31. ISBN 9780897898201. Of greater cultural significance, the demographic and economic dominance of Muslims continued for at least another century and a half after which forced conversions undoubtedly permitted many former Muslims to remain.
  11. ^ Kenneth M. Setton, "The Byzantine Background to the Italian Renaissance" in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 100:1 (Feb. 24, 1956), pp. 1–76.
  12. ^ Daftary, Farhad (1990). The Ismāʻı̄lı̄s: Their History and Doctrines. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-37019-1.
  13. ^ Stefan Goodwin (1 Jan 2002). "2 (Islam and Realignments)". Malta, Mediterranean Bridge (illustrated ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 24. ISBN 9780897898201. Though by the end of the fifteenth century all Maltese Muslims would be forced to convert to Christianity, they would still be in the process of acquiring surnames as required in European tradition. Ingeniously, they often used their father's personal Arabic names as the basis of surnames, though there was a consistent cultural avoidance of extremely obvious Arabic and Muslim names, such as Muhammed and Razul. Also, many families disguised their Arabic names, such as Karwan (the city in Tunisia), which became Caruana, and some derived family names by translating from Arabic into a Roman form, such as Magro or Magri from Dejf.
  14. ^ C. Capelli, N. Redhead, N. Novelletto, L. Terrenato, P. Malaspina, Z. Poulli, G. Lefranc, A. Megarbane, V. Delague, V. Romano, F. Cali, V.F. Pascali, M. Fellous, A.E. Felice, and D.B. Goldstein; "Population Structure in the Mediterranean Basin: A Y Chromosome Perspective," Archived 2013-08-28 at the Wayback Machine Annals of Human Genetics, 69, 1–20, 2005.
  15. ^ Joseph M. Brincat, "Language and Demography in Malta: The Social Foundations of the Symbiosis between Semitic and Romance in Standard Maltese," in Malta: A Case Study in International Cross-Currents. Proceedings of the First International Colloquium on the history of the Central Mediterranean held at the University of Malta, 13–17 December 1989. Ed: S. Fiorini and V. Mallia-Milanes (Malta University Publications, Malta Historical Society, and Foundation for International Studies, University of Malta) at 91-110. Last visited 5 August 2007.
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  18. ^ a b Eurostat, migr_ressing
  19. ^ a b "Census 2005" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-28. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  20. ^ a b UNCHR Malta
  21. ^ a b Census final report 2021
  22. ^ Census of Population and Housing 2011: Final Report (PDF) (Report). National Statistics Office. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  23. ^ https://nso.gov.mt/en/publicatons/Publications_by_Unit/Documents/01_Methodology_and_Research/Census2011_FinalReport.pdf Archived 2020-06-21 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
  24. ^ https://www.sviv.se/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Kartlaggning-2022_Svenskar-i-varlden.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  25. ^ "EU Work permits and restrictions to labour market in EU countries-Your Europe". European Commission. October 2012.
  26. ^ "Croatian Nationals no longer need a work permit to work in Malta GVZH". GVZH. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  27. ^ "Croatian Nationals No Longer Need A Work Permit To Work In Malta - Work Visas - Malta". www.mondaq.com. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  28. ^ "Do I need a visa to visit Malta?". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  29. ^ "Illegal immigration and Malta". 25 May 2009.
  30. ^ [2][permanent dead link‍] TPPI Report, p.1
  31. ^ "FRONTEXWatch - Malta". www.crimemalta.com.
  32. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR - Document Not Found" (PDF).
  33. ^ [Ibidem, p. 26]
  34. ^ [Ibidem, p. 45]
  35. ^ Cameron, Bobby Thomas (2010). "Asylum Policy and Housing for Asylum Seekers in the EU: A Look at Malta's Open Centres for Asylum Seekers". Perspectives on European Security: STETE Yearbook 2010. The Finnish Committee for European Security: STETE: 99–105.
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  37. ^ a b c Eurostat, migr_asyappctza
  38. ^ "Malta guards Europe's gates against African immigrants". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  39. ^ National Statistics Office (2005). Demographic Review 2004. Valletta: National Statistics Office. p. 59. ISBN 99909-73-32-6. Archived from the original on 7 September 2006.
  40. ^ "Frendo holds talks with three European Union Commission Members" (PDF) (Press release). Valletta: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 30 January 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2006. Retrieved 6 July 2006.
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  43. ^ Mediterranean migrants: Hundreds feared dead after boat capsizes. BBC News (19 April 2015). Retrieved on 2017-05-01.
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  47. ^ Ltd, Allied Newspapers (23 February 2012). "Italy violated human rights when it pushed migrants back to Libya - ECHR".
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  54. ^ Clenfield, Jason (11 March 2015). "Passport King Christian Kalin Helps Nations Sell Citizenship – Bloomberg Business". Bloomberg.com.
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  58. ^ a b Politico Europe
  59. ^ European Parliament
  60. ^ Times of Malta, 6 November 2017
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