In 2015, the increase in population was mainly explained by the increase in immigrants rather than babies born.  This was published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in their Trends in Malta 2016 report. 

NSO said that, there were more births than deaths, but women under 30 are having less children.  Over 12,000 immigrants came to Malta in 2015.

When it comes to marriages, NSO said that ccivil marriages, including those among foreigners, were almost at par with religious marriages in 2015.

Diseases of the circulatory system and tumours were the primary causes of death in Malta during 2015.    

In academic year 2014/2015, Church-run schools registered the highest average class sizes whereas the Northern District welcomed the largest number of foreign students at primary level.  NSO said that fFemales outnumbered males in tertiary programmes.  

The construction industry registered the highest average annual increases in billed electricity consumption between 2010 and 2015.  NSO said that in 2015, the household sector consumed almost one-third of all the electricity generated. 

Mineral and solidified waste accounted for the highest share of total waste generated.  The majority of municipal waste generated was landfilled.

Economy

In 2015, growth in the real economy was mainly driven by domestic demand.  The services sector was the main contributor to growth in private consumption.

In 2015, lower deficit and government debt were registered. Inflation in 2016 was mainly driven by the Food Index, in particular, higher prices for restaurants and the like.  Since 2012, the value of goods exported outside the EU was more than twice the value exported to EU countries.

NSO said that between 2010 and 2014, mineral production from quarries decreased by 21 per cent. Building permits increased by 34.4 per cent in 2015. 

The number of inbound tourists is increasing while the average length of stay is decreasing.  Non-EU nationals spent more than EU nationals on average in 2015.  The Maltese spent €991 on average when abroad during the same year.  Between 2010 and 2015, nights spent abroad by the Maltese went up by 38.8 per cent and the preferred destinations were Italy and the UK.  (Tourism)

When it comes to agriculture, NSO said that despite the lower rainfall recorded during 2016, vegetables sold through official markets increased. 

Labour Market

In 2015, male workers typically earned €1,300 per annum more (basic salary) than female workers.  Between 2005 and 2015, the employment rate went up by more than 10 percentage points mainly due to a higher proportion of females joining the labour market.  Between 2005 and 2015, employment in the manufacturing sector went down while in the services sector it went up.  Malta registered the fifth highest employment rate among the young (15-24) and the third lowest employment rate among the old (50+) in 2015.  In 2015, 6.9% of salaries and wages earned by employees were paid for days which were not actually worked.