Although Malta's immigration numbers have dwindled significantly over recent years, the Maltese are still second on a world list of countries most in favour of seeing immigration numbers going down. In a survey, 76 per cent of Maltese said they would like to see immigration levels reduced, trumped only by the Greeks at 84 per cent.

The finding comes from a report on How the World Views Migration, which will be released this spring by the International Organisation for Migration and is expected to provide rare insights into public attitudes towards migration around the world.

Highlights of the report's initial findings were released at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. The findings, based on Gallup interviews with 183,772 adults across more than 140 countries between 2012 and 2014, are expected to show a global population that is generally in favour of raising the number of newcomers arriving each year, or else keeping migration at present levels.

But the attitudes of the Mediterranean region, an entry point to Europe for several thousands of African migrants every year, differ significantly. Apart from Malta and Greece, 56 per cent of Spaniards and 67 per cent of Italians also want to see immigration levels fall. In France, 45 per cent would like to see immigration levels reduce and the same number would like to see levels either stay the same or increase.

"This study presents for the first time some preliminary information about what people worldwide think about migration," the authors of the report said. "Contrary to the negative perceptions of migration often portrayed in the media in certain regions of the world, our findings suggest that most people around the world do not wish to see a reduction in immigration to their countries."

But an important exception is Europe, said IOM Head of Research Frank Laczko, who notes that Gallup's research shows a sharp divergence in attitudes between Northern Europe and the continent's Mediterranean area.

The majority of adults in nearly all Northern European countries (such as Sweden, Denmark and Finland) would like to see levels of immigration stay the same or increase, the research revealed. The United Kingdom is the sole exception, with the majority of people (69 per cent) supporting reduced immigration.

"People in Europe are the most negative towards immigration, but even there just barely," said Dr Laczko. "There is a slim majority (52.1 per cent) saying immigration levels should be lowered. By comparison, the corresponding figure for Northern America is 39.3 per cent."

According to Dr Neli Esipova, Director of Research on Global Migration for Gallup's World Poll: "Understanding the profile of people who are for or against immigration, as well as the factors that influence their opinions, is essential in shaping more positive attitudes to immigration around the world."

Dr Laczko added: "Negative public perceptions of migration restrict the ability of policy-makers to manage migration effectively. There is a risk that migration policies in such countries will be increasingly shaped by fears and misconceptions rather than evidence. If we are to combat the worrying rise in discrimination against migrants and the general public's fears about migration, we need to continue to monitor public perceptions of migration on a regular basis."