Maltese nationals last year married foreigners from all around the world, including from Ukraine, Thailand, China, Mexico and the Philippines.
A total of 1,557 couples – 30 fewer than in 2006 and six more than in 2005 – got married in Church in Malta last year. 1,372 of them were between Maltese, the Archbishop’s Curia said yesterday. The number of marriages was similar to that of previous years – in the last six years, the only year when the number of marriages dropped below 1,500 was the year of the EU referendum and the last election, in 2003.The figures do not include those for marriages performed in Gozo.
There were also 67 marriages between Maltese and foreigners – 35 between Catholics; 20 between Maltese Catholics and non-Catholic Christians from abroad; and 12 between Maltese and non-Christian foreigners. 14 Maltese who live abroad were also married here, and 104 foreign couples also wed here.
The 67 foreigners who married Maltese spouses in Church – 43 men and 24 women – came from 28 countries: England, Italy – 12; Libya, Russia – 4; Australia, Scotland, Ukraine – 3; Germany, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand – 2; and one each from Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, the Philippines, France, Japan, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, Holland, Poland, Rumania, United States of America, and Turkey.
June, with 294 marriages, was the most popular month, followed by September, at 200, and May, 192. January happened to be the least popular, with just 19 marriages. There were also 56 marriages that were validated (the couples would not have married in Church, and then did so). 20 were validated after less than a year; 29 after less than one to five years; six after six to 10 years; and one after 11 to 15 years.
The Curia said 19 widows or widowers were married again, and 30 persons whose first marriage had been declared null were married again. Four couples cancelled the registration of their planned marriage. In 2007 there were seven marriages in which one of the spouses – six men and one woman – was over 70 years old.
2002 – 1,596
2003 – 1,488
2004 – 1,556
2005 – 1,551
2006 – 1,587
2007 – 1,557