Malta - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Malta. The country is an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors. Mother's mean age at first birth is 29.3 years (2020 est.) (Note: data refers to the average of the different childbearing ages of first-order births), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Malta
Location Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)
Geographic coordinates 35 50 N, 14 35 E
Map references Europe
Tarrain mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs
Natural Resources limestone, salt, arable land
Natural Hazards occasional droughts
Irrigated Land 35 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 196.8 km (excludes 56 km for the island of Gozo)
Climate Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers
Area
Total Area
Land Area 316 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone 25 nm
Elevations
Highest point Ta'Dmejrek on Dingli Cliffs 253 m
Lowest point Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 32.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 28.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 3.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest 0.9% (2018 est.)
Other 66.8% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Most of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta, the largest of the three inhabited islands

People and Society

In Malta, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.51% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 9.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 8.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 10.8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 4.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 1.51 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.74 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 63.2% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 5.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 4.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Maltese | Maltese (singular and plural)
Languages Maltese (official) 90.1%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.9% (2005 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic (official) more than 90% (2006 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 14.5% (male 35,034/female 33,181)
15-64 years 62.4% (male 151,836/female 141,248)
65 years and over 23.1% (2024 est.) (male 50,153/female 58,278)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 47.1
Youth dependency ratio 19.3
Elderly dependency ratio 27.7
Potential support ratio 3.6 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 43.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 42.4 years
Female 44.7 years
Urbanization
Urban population 94.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 213,000 VALLETTA (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.86 male(s)/female
Total population 1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 83.6 years (2024 est.)
Male 81.5 years
Female 85.8 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 8.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 2.8 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 2.34 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 2.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 24% (2020 est.)
Male 26.4% (2020 est.)
Female 21.6% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Malta

Want to know more about Malta? Check all different factbooks for Malta below.

Malta is found in Southern Europe