Over 300 Children & Teenagers Treated In Maltese Hospitals For Self-Harm Since 2020

During a parliamentary question, Honourable Graziella Attard Previ asked Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela how many children had attended Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments due to self-harm since 2020, requesting the figures by year, age, and gender.

In response, Minister Abela confirmed that 318 children presented at A&E for self-harm between 2020 and July 2025. The figures reveal a sharp rise in cases, from 36 in 2020 to 62 in 2021. Numbers remained high in 2022 and 2023, with 63 and 69 cases respectively, before dropping slightly to 64 in 2024. In the first seven months of 2025, 24 children were already treated for self-harm.

The data highlights a significant gender disparity, with girls accounting for 227 cases compared to 91 boys, representing more than 71 per cent of all presentations. The age group most affected is 13 to 14-year-olds, with 118 presentations, followed closely by 15 to 16-year-olds with 112 cases. Girls aged 13 to 14 accounted for 100 cases compared to just 18 boys, marking them as the single most vulnerable demographic.

Children aged 11 to 12 accounted for 57 presentations, with 38 girls and 19 boys. The youngest age group, 0 to 10 years, recorded 31 cases, with 20 boys and 11 girls the only bracket where boys outnumbered girls.

#MaltaDaily