Malta's population numbers continue to rise, but the country has limited space and is facing infrastructural challenges, chief among them being traffic.

It is an issue that has been debated much. Malta's limited space means that construction is taking place practically around every corner, and localities become more and more densely built.

 The need for an economic model change has been underlined by many, to move towards less human resource heavy sectors which also pay well.

But at the same time there is another issue which was recently highlighted.

A Policy Note document published by the Central Bank of Malta confirmed what has already been known, that while the population in Malta has increased rapidly in recent years, primarily due to growth in the foreign population mostly within the working age bracket, the native Maltese population has been declining due to low fertility rates, and ageing driven by falling mortality rates.

"The total fertility rate in Malta has been declining since 2015 and stood at 1.06 in 2023 below both the European Union (EU) average of 1.38 and the required replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. However, the fertility rate among Maltese women specifically stood at 1.16 in 2023 which implies that the total fertility rate measure is not entirely reflective of the trend within the native population."

The document projects that the Maltese native population will decline in numbers.

This will have implications on the working age population. While foreign workers make up for the lack of Maltese and keep the economy going, something must be done to increase the number of Maltese being born.

The document does recognise that are shortcomings in the research, stating for instance that the number of births may be underestimated due to the consideration of births to the projected native Maltese female population only. This indicates the need for further research on the subject. But it does paint a picture of an issue which needs to be taken seriously.

The government has over recent years introduced a number of measures to help families. For instance, free childcare for everyone, giving leave days for public holidays that fall on weekend, improvements to leave for parents. But this has not been enough.

The document makes recommendations. For instance, it suggests the study about how the relationship between family size, and female as well as male career choices, might be developing in Malta. "Indeed, recent literature suggests that a family-career conflict can be reversed in an environment of supportive family measures, changing social norms on working mothers, and a labour market adaptive to the needs of both mothers and fathers. Proposals in this domain are aimed at making a family and a career compatible rather than conflicting," it says, and this should be further explored.

The need for better work-life balance could be one way to help improve the situation.

Aside from the above, there are also those who have medical problems. Support for IVF has been crucial for helping parents who want to have children but for physical reasons have issues. Such support must continue.

One could also argue that there could be other factors. Take, for instance, financial considerations. Couples might put off having children until they are older mainly due to not having enough savings. Looking at how expensive the country has become when compared to ten years ago, this could also be having an impact. Property prices are high, so prospective parents might want a bigger place before having kids, but the costs associated with getting that bigger home would mean putting off that decision.  

Tackling the need to control overpopulation, given Malta's limited space and infrastructural issues, while also finding ways to improve the fertility rate will be a tricky challenge which the government must navigate.