Malta’s population soars above 600,000 in the peak Summer months due to the influx of thousands of tourists, according to a study carried out by the National Statistics Office.

Though tourism statistics have been published for years, this is the first time that an analysis was carried out to establish the impact on the Maltese population at one go, rather than a simple total of the number of visitors. Hence, the NSO has coined a new term – the effective population – which comprises the resident population and those staying there for a brief period.

It transpires that in August 2023 Malta’s effective population reached 628,058 of whom 75,824 were tourists. In contrast in December the effective population dropped to 562,591 as it coincided with the low tourist season. This fluctuation resulted in a drop of 65,467 in Malta’s effective population in just four months. The seasonal variations mean that Malta’s effective population exceeds 600,000 between June and October.

The report also included a deeper analysis from a geographic perspective. As expected, the population of those localities hosting the biggest concentration of accommodation establishments and entertainment outlets where mostly impacted by tourism. In August 2023, St Julian’s which incorporates Paceville and St George’s Bay saw its population almost treble, having an effective population of 30,935 of whom residents were just 13,518. However, the largest effective population was in St Paul’s Bay as in that month this reached a staggering 51,517 of whom 35,865 were residents. In this case it is worth noting that in this northern locality the resident population spiked from 21,943 in 2016 to 35,865 in 2023 – mostly foreigners if not third country nationals working in Malta.

According to the data in August 2023, Sliema had an effective population of 33,877 of whom 12,412 were tourists, whereas Mellieha’s population peaked at 23,113 of whom13,861 were residents. Other localities which were significantly impacted by tourism where Gzira with an effective population of 16,696 of whom 11,944 were residents and Valletta with an effective population of population of 9,276 of whom 5,254 were residents.

Thanks to this data, it is easier to analyse the impact of the tourism industry on the country’s infrastructure especially in the peak summer months. Such information is key for policy makers and the stakeholders, if we want to have a sustainable tourism industry, amid concerns that we are going after numbers to the detriment of the quality of life especially in the most impacted areas of the Maltese Islands.