Malta Records Highest Population Growth In EU

Malta registered the highest population growth rate in the European Union between 1 January 2024 and 1 January 2025, according to the latest figures from Eurostat.

With a crude growth rate of 19.0 per 1,000 people, Malta outpaced all other EU member states, followed by Ireland at 16.3 and Luxembourg at 14.7.

This growth comes as the EU’s total population reached 450.4 million at the start of 2025, marking an increase of over one million people from the previous year.

It was the fourth consecutive year of population growth in the bloc, following a decline in 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The increase is largely attributed to migration, which has been the main driver of population growth in the EU since 2012. Natural change, which accounts for the difference between births and deaths, has remained negative throughout this period.

Over a longer timespan, the EU’s population has risen significantly, growing from 354.5 million in 1960 to over 450 million today.

However, the rate of growth has slowed, with the average annual increase dropping from around three million people in the 1960s to less than one million per year between 2005 and 2024.

Eight EU countries recorded population declines, with Latvia, Hungary, Poland and Estonia seeing the steepest drops. Meanwhile, Germany, France and Italy remained the most populous countries, together accounting for nearly half of the EU’s total population.

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Photo Source: Voice of the Workers Weekly, Locally Abroad (Pexels)