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Immigration 202434,03321st in the EU-27
Net migration 2024+10,614immigration − emigration
First-time asylum claims 202540024th in the EU-27 · 0.1% UE
New citizenships 20241,14521st in the EU-27

Malta ranks 21st in the EU-27 for regular immigration: in 2024 it registered 34,033 arrivals and 23,419 departures, for a net balance of +10,614. In 2025 first-time asylum applications came to 400, 0.1% of the EU total; citizenship acquisitions in 2024 numbered 1,145.

Regular migration

The series includes all citizenships — EU citizens moving between member states and returning nationals included — and counts those moving their usual residence for at least 12 months. Compared with 2019, immigration is up 16%.

Immigration Emigration

Regular migration, Malta, by year · Eurostat
YearImmigrationEmigrationNet
202434,03323,419+10,614
202342,23921,279+20,960
202234,96413,166+21,798
202116,96313,146+3,817
202014,75113,804+947
201929,3048,079+21,225
201827,39410,019+17,375
201722,7508,036+14,714
201618,1169,510+8,606
201518,2028,255+9,947
201415,9286,200+9,728
201312,4466,550+5,896
20129,1525,946+3,206
20115,4653,806+1,659
20104,2754,201+74
20096,1613,868+2,293
20086,0433,719+2,324

Asylum applications

First-time applications for international protection lodged in Malta in 2025 came to 400 (the 24th-highest in the EU). The series peak remains 2019, with 4,020 applications.

First-time asylum applications, Malta, by year · Eurostat
YearFirst-time claims
2025400
2024445
2023495
2022915
20211,200
20202,405
20194,020
20182,030
20171,620
20161,725
20151,705
20141,280
20132,200
20122,060
20111,875
2010145
20092,390
20082,605

New citizenships

In 2024 citizenship acquisitions came to 1,145, the 21st-highest in the EU-27. It is a lagging indicator: today's new citizens typically immigrated several years ago.

Citizenship acquisitions, Malta, by year · Eurostat
YearAcquisitions
20241,145
2023825
2022842
20211,156
20201,181
2019770
20181,044
20171,973
20161,495
2015646
2014314
2013418
2012661
2011236
2010322
2009817
2008644

Who leaves

In 2024, 1,924 of the country's own citizens moved abroad (the 26th-highest in the EU). The true number is almost certainly higher: emigration is measured through de-registrations, and people who leave do not always deregister.

How to read these numbers. Regular migration follows the UN definition (residence ≥ 12 months) and also includes EU citizens and returning nationals. “First-time applications” exclude repeat claims in the same country. Emigration, based on de-registrations, is generally undercounted. Definitions in the glossary, sources and limits in the methodology.

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