The National Statistics Office last week told us that the population of Malta, for the first time, surpassed 500,000. Official statistics show that, in 2018, the number of people living in Malta was 493,559; this climbed to 514,564 in 2019, and the indications are that it will not stop there.

The numbers gather more significance when one considers that in 2006, the population of Malta had just surpassed 400,000 – it was, at the time, 405,616, and for a few years after that it was going upwards in small jumps of between 2,000 and 5,000 annually until it reached 422,509 in 2012.

Since then, however, the changes in the population have been more dramatic, starting off with a 7,000 leap in 2013. There were bigger increases of 10,000-11,000 each year between 2014 and 2016, and, in the last three years, the upsurge was even higher by 15,000 in 2017, 18,000 in 2018 and 19,000 in 2019.

The bigger jumps in the population started when the Labour Party took over the reins of the country, and its policies attracted many foreign nationals who set up residence here. In fact, taking just 2019 figures, the NSO statistics show that the natural growth was low – there were only 700 more births than deaths that year. But the population climbed upwards because of migration, with nearly 27,000 foreigners taking up residence in Malta, while only 7,000 who had been here left to return home. Added to this, the number of Maltese who returned to Malta after spending time abroad was higher than the number of Maltese who left.

It is no joke that, in the last 14 years, Malta’s population has increased by more or less 25 per cent. Considering that 400,000 was already a high number for the small size of the country in 2006, the staggering increase has further exacerbated issues we had already been facing – it is no secret that Malta is one of the most densely populated countries; we’re in fact in fourth place behind Monaco, Singapore and Bahrain.

This no doubt puts a great strain on our environment and infrastructure. We all know about the traffic problems we all face – they were put aside during the Coronavirus crisis, as many people were working from home and schools were closed. We are sure that, come September, when the academic year starts and more people would have returned to work from at their offices, we will face even more traffic jams.

The work being carried out by Infrastructure Malta cannot keep up with the pace of more people – and therefore more cars – on our roads. With many continuing to shun public transport because it is not as reliable as it should be, it is inevitable that our roads are congested, and this not only at peak hours.

As the population grows, the need for better drainage services, more energy and water, and more accommodation continues to rise, with the resultant negative impact on the environment. Needless to say, the rush to have more buildings in the past few years has led to some very controversial decisions and many new eyesores.

It is difficult to describe Malta as being picturesque these days.

In public places, one always gets the impression of living in an over-crowded, disorganised and dirty country.