Malta
Destination country · migration, permits and visas
- First residence permits, 2025 (Eurostat)
- 32,687
- Schengen visa refusal rate, 2024
- 37.1%
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International migrants
People living in Malta who were born in another country, or who hold foreign citizenship where country of birth is not recorded: mid-year estimates (UN DESA).
International migrants by year
Data table
| 1990 | 15,077 |
| 1995 | 17,740 |
| 2000 | 21,521 |
| 2005 | 24,560 |
| 2010 | 33,008 |
| 2015 | 52,642 |
| 2020 | 114,760 |
| 2024 | 199,466 |
- International migrants, 2024
- 199,466
- Share of the population, 2024
- 37.0%
- Counted by
- country of birth
Migrants in the labour market
Labour force survey results for Malta: residents aged 15 and over who were born abroad, compared with those born in the country (ILOSTAT).
| Indicator | Born in the country | Born abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Employment-to-population ratio, 2025 | 57.8% | 80.1% |
| Unemployment rate, 2025 | 2.1% | 4.3% |
- Born abroad: share of all workers, 2025
- 41.9%
- Born abroad: share of high-skill jobs, 2025
- 37.4%
- Born abroad: share of medium-skill jobs, 2025
- 44.1%
- Born abroad: share of elementary jobs, 2025
- 58.4%
Earnings by occupation
Mean gross annual earnings of employees in Malta by major occupation group, in enterprises with 10 or more employees (Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022).
| Occupation group | Mean annual earnings, EUR | Index, all occupations = 100 |
|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 30,710 | 100 |
| Managers | 55,437 | 181 |
| Professionals | 39,328 | 128 |
| Technicians and associate professionals | 32,292 | 105 |
| Clerical support workers | 25,673 | 84 |
| Service and sales workers | 22,604 | 74 |
| Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | 18,996 | 62 |
| Craft and related trades workers | 25,876 | 84 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers | 22,339 | 73 |
| Elementary occupations | 18,351 | 60 |
- Mean gross annual earnings, all employees, 2022
- 30,710 EUR
- Women's mean earnings as a share of men's, 2022
- 92.2%
Residence permits
First residence permits issued by Malta to non-EU citizens (Eurostat).
First permits by year
Data table
| 2008 | 4,827 |
| 2009 | 3,543 |
| 2010 | 2,756 |
| 2011 | 3,471 |
| 2012 | 4,516 |
| 2013 | 6,792 |
| 2014 | 9,895 |
| 2015 | 9,984 |
| 2016 | 8,991 |
| 2017 | 12,495 |
| 2018 | 17,173 |
| 2019 | 21,160 |
| 2020 | 11,103 |
| 2021 | 14,349 |
| 2022 | 37,835 |
| 2023 | 41,907 |
| 2024 | 29,426 |
| 2025 | 32,687 |
- Work16,286
- Education8,095
- Other reasons5,451
- Family2,855
- Other paid activities16,188
- EU Blue Card95
- Researchers3
- Valid residence permits, 31 Dec 2025
- 132,038
- Long-term residence permits issued, 2025
- 824
- Changed status into work, 2025
- 1,486
- Intra-corporate transferee permits, 2025
- 8
Schengen visas issued by Malta
Short-stay visa applications at Malta's consulates worldwide.
Applications by year
Data table
| 2009 | 31,730 |
| 2010 | 41,754 |
| 2011 | 33,858 |
| 2012 | 53,777 |
| 2013 | 79,559 |
| 2014 | 56,886 |
| 2015 | 39,445 |
| 2016 | 27,767 |
| 2017 | 37,881 |
| 2018 | 32,331 |
| 2019 | 34,765 |
| 2020 | 6,472 |
| 2021 | 4,295 |
| 2022 | 22,275 |
| 2023 | 33,306 |
| 2024 | 45,578 |
| Country of the consulate | Applications 2024 | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|
| Libya | 8,479 | 23.8% |
| Türkiye | 6,403 | 27.3% |
| United Kingdom | 5,104 | 5.2% |
| Algeria | 4,745 | 85.5% |
| China | 4,547 | 26.0% |
| India | 4,203 | 39.1% |
| Morocco | 3,654 | 73.7% |
| Egypt | 1,907 | 55.6% |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,464 | 43.4% |
| Tunisia | 1,124 | 34.3% |
| Ghana | 1,118 | 58.4% |
| Russia | 1,092 | 26.7% |
| Saudi Arabia | 682 | 17.0% |
| Ireland | 251 | 2.0% |
| Kuwait | 234 | 3.0% |
Malta's embassies and consulates abroad
Countries in which Malta has an embassy or consulate, as recorded in Wikidata.
| Country | Embassies | Consulates-general | Consulates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 1 | — | — |
| Belgium | 1 | — | — |
| China | 1 | — | — |
| Egypt | 1 | — | — |
| France | 1 | — | — |
| Germany | 1 | — | — |
| Greece | 1 | — | — |
| Ireland | 1 | — | — |
| Israel | 1 | — | — |
| Italy | 1 | — | — |
| Japan | 1 | — | — |
| Kuwait | 1 | — | — |
| Libya | 1 | — | — |
| Poland | 1 | — | — |
| Portugal | 1 | — | — |
| Russia | 1 | — | — |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 | — | — |
| Spain | 1 | — | — |
| Tunisia | 1 | — | — |
| Türkiye | 1 | 1 | — |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | — | — |
| United States | 1 | — | — |
- Countries
- 22
- Missions
- 23
Remittances sent abroad
Personal remittances paid from Malta to other countries, in current US dollars (World Bank).
Remittances paid by year, US$ million
Data table
| 2000 | 8 |
| 2001 | 8 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2003 | 12 |
| 2004 | 376 |
| 2005 | 192 |
| 2006 | 223 |
| 2007 | 259 |
| 2008 | 1,320 |
| 2009 | 1,864 |
| 2010 | 1,612 |
| 2011 | 1,108 |
| 2012 | 1,050 |
| 2013 | 1,108 |
| 2014 | 1,113 |
| 2015 | 404 |
| 2016 | 451 |
| 2017 | 115 |
| 2018 | 131 |
| 2019 | 133 |
| 2020 | 136 |
| 2021 | 152 |
| 2022 | 168 |
| 2023 | 201 |
| 2024 | 226 |
- Remittances paid, 2024
- US$226 million
Corridors into Malta
Nationalities with a dedicated corridor page.
- India → Malta
- China → Malta
- Nepal → Malta
- Colombia → Malta
- Philippines → Malta
- Nigeria → Malta
- Pakistan → Malta
- Bangladesh → Malta
- Türkiye → Malta
- Libya → Malta
- Brazil → Malta
- United Kingdom → Malta
- United States → Malta
- Albania → Malta
Official data, not advice. Visa Atlas publishes figures from government registers and statistics. It does not assess eligibility or give immigration advice; for advice, consult a regulated adviser. Read more