The total population of Malta at the end of 2013 stood at 425,384, up by 1.0 per cent when compared to 2012, the NSO said.

The Maltese population accounted for 94.1 per cent of the total population. Persons under 18 made up 17.8 per cent of the total, while a further 17.9 per cent were aged 65 and over. Of these, 2,114 persons - 1,500 females and 614 males - were over 89. The population increase was mainly due to net migration (immigration less emigration).

Live births registered during 2013 decreased by 2.5 per cent over the previous year. During 2013, 129 babies, or 3.1 per cent, were born to teenage mothers. On the other hand, almost two-thirds of babies were born to mothers aged between 25 and 34. There were 1,039 births outside marriage, of which 10.8 per cent were born to teenage mothers, while 30.6 per cent were born to mothers between 20 and 24. Of the 3,236 deaths registered during 2013, 66.5 per cent were persons over 74 years old.

A decrease of 245 registered marriages was observed last year: 207 in Malta and 38 in Gozo. Civil marriages accounted for 46.5 per cent of the total in 2013, an increase of 2.5 per cent over the previous year. From the total marriages registered, 21.0 per cent were between spouses aged 25-29. More than a third (33.9 per cent) of grooms were between 25 and 29 years old while a further 28.2 per cent were aged between 30 and 34. Almost 40 per cent of brides were between 25 and 29 years old, 23.2 per cent were between 30 and 34, and a further 14.0 per cent were between 20 and 24 years of age.