Total registered births went down by 97, or 2.3%, from 4,204, in 2023, to 4,107 in 2024 the Public Registry within Identita' said on Monday.
Identita' said that throughout 2024, the Public Registry of Malta, within the agency of Identita', registered 2,076 borths of boys and 2,031 girls. It added that in 2024, there was an additional decrease in registered deaths, totalling 3,764, and equating to a 3.9% decrease (151 less) in deaths compared to 2023.
Identita' said that despite the overall death rate in Malta decreasing, there was a slight increase in the percentage of male deaths in 2024 compared to 2023 with 1,951 of the 3,764 deaths being male, equating to an increase of 8 men dying yearly. It added that there was additionally a decrease in female deaths in 2024 with 1,813 of the 3,764 deaths being female equating to a decrease of 159 women dying yearly, compared to 2023.
On another note, Identita' found that the most popular names for boys in Malta in 2024 were Matteo, Noah and Liam, whilst those for girls were Valentina, Emma and Ella. Furthermore, it found that for the 3rd consecutive year, Ġanni and Luċija remain the most popular names with letters from the Maltese alphabet.
Identita' pointed out that in 2024, 1,994 couples were married, meaning a decrease of 40 from the previous year. It said that contrary to 2023 when no civil unions were registered, in 2024 2 were notified alongside 51 cohabitations, an increase of 15 from 2023.
Identita' said that the statistics gathered by the Public Registry show that the service offered by the Identita' Branch within Mater Dei Hospital remains the most popular amongst the general public with 90% of births and 60% of deaths in 2024 being notified in the branch. Speaking about the Public Registry in general, 73,764 birth, death and marriage certificates were issued in total in 2024; an increase of 4,777 from 2023 as well as 811 certificates of Free State.
Furthermore, Identita' pointed out that, of all the certificates issued, 42,425 were ordered online whilst 31,339 were ordered in person from the office of the Public Registry in Marsa, of these, 1,724 certificates were multi-lingual meaning that the certificates will be used in an EU member state outside of Malta.