Population density in Malta
Malta: Population density was 1,727 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1,727 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
8th
of 215 countries
All-time high
1,727 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
943.74 people per sq. km of land area
in 1974
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in Malta, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in Malta is 1,727 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 30.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Malta peaked at 1,727 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 943.74 people per sq. km of land area, in 1974.
That places Malta 8th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in Malta, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,016 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 1,012 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 1,008 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 1,004 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 996.25 people per sq. km of land area | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 985 people per sq. km of land area | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 973.59 people per sq. km of land area | -1.2% |
| 1968 | 962.19 people per sq. km of land area | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 950.94 people per sq. km of land area | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 945.78 people per sq. km of land area | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 945.94 people per sq. km of land area | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 945.16 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 944.38 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 943.74 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 950.69 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 955.54 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 959.28 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 969.32 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 979.19 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 989.52 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 996.82 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 1,018 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 1,033 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 1,033 people per sq. km of land area | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1,051 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 1,069 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 1,077 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 1,085 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 1,096 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 1,107 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 1,137 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 1,149 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 1,160 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 1,171 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 1,179 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 1,187 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 1,196 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 1,204 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 1,211 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 1,219 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 1,228 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 1,237 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 1,246 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 1,254 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 1,262 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 1,267 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 1,271 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 1,279 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1,289 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 1,295 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1,301 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1,313 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 1,328 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 1,355 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 1,388 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 1,420 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 1,460 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 1,512 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 1,575 people per sq. km of land area | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 1,611 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 1,619 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 1,660 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 1,727 people per sq. km of land area | +4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 989.83 people per sq. km of land area | 950.94 people per sq. km of land area | 1,016 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 953.9 people per sq. km of land area | 943.74 people per sq. km of land area | 979.19 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,045 people per sq. km of land area | 989.52 people per sq. km of land area | 1,096 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,170 people per sq. km of land area | 1,107 people per sq. km of land area | 1,211 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,255 people per sq. km of land area | 1,219 people per sq. km of land area | 1,289 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,395 people per sq. km of land area | 1,295 people per sq. km of land area | 1,575 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,654 people per sq. km of land area | 1,611 people per sq. km of land area | 1,727 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 5 Gibraltar 3,847 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 6 Bahrain 1,971 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 7 Maldives 1,765 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 9 Bangladesh 1,319 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 10 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 1,257 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 11 Bermuda 1,198 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Malta
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 10.81 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 5.94 Hectares (2020)
- Establishments, bedrooms and bed-places in tourist accommodation, by 388 Number (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 100.0% (2017)
- Nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by degree of 11.32 million Number (2024)
- Housing cost overburden rate by NUTS 2 region 6.0% (2025)
- Expenditure on housing function by type of benefit and means-testing 43.44 (2024)
- Housing cost overburden rate by age, sex and poverty status 6 (2025)
- Average number of rooms per person by tenure status and dwelling type 2.2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Malta?
- Population density in Malta was 1,727 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 1,727 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 943.74 people per sq. km of land area in 1974.
- How does Malta rank for population density?
- Malta ranks 8th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.