In 2023, church collections in Malta reached over €2.9 million, the highest in a decade, according to the Archdiocese’s financial report.
This marks a 20% increase from 2022, with a significant rise attributed to the growing number of Catholic non-Maltese residents.
Church collections had previously peaked at €2.6 million from 2017 to 2019 but dropped to €1.5 million and €1.9 million during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
Despite the increase in collections, there is a projected decline in local Mass attendance. The most recent Sunday Mass attendance census in 2017 showed a drop from 81.9% in 1967 to 37%, with predictions of just 10% attendance by 2040.
The rise in foreign residents in Malta, which increased by over 95,000 in the past decade, is seen as a contributing factor to the boost in church collections.
Non-Maltese nationals now make up over 22% of the population, with EU citizens comprising one-third. Italians represent the largest foreign group at 12%, followed by British residents at 9%. Indian and Filipino communities each account for just under 7% of the foreign population.
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