Share of children living with a single parent in Malta

Malta: Share of children living with a single parent was 18.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
18.4%
Change on year
down 6.1%
World rank
15th
of 34 countries
All-time high
23.9%
in 2020
All-time low
10.4%
in 2005
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Share of children living with a single parent in Malta, 2005–2023

05101520252005201420232005: 10.4 %2006: 11.3 %2007: 13.8 %2008: 14.8 %2009: 14.6 %2010: 16.2 %2011: 16.5 %2012: 16.8 %2013: 18.6 %2014: 18.9 %2015: 19.7 %2016: 20 %2017: 21.2 %2018: 21.8 %2019: 21.5 %2020: 23.9 %2021: 21.9 %2022: 19.6 %2023: 18.4 %

Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, share of children living with a single parent in Malta stood at 18.4%.

That represents a change of down 6.1% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children living with a single parent in Malta peaked at 23.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2005.

That places Malta 15th out of 34 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Share of children living with a single parent in Malta, year by year

Annual values for Share of children living with a single parent in Malta, 2005 to 2023.
Year % Change
2005 10.4% —
2006 11.3% +8.7%
2007 13.8% +22.1%
2008 14.8% +7.2%
2009 14.6% -1.4%
2010 16.2% +11.0%
2011 16.5% +1.9%
2012 16.8% +1.8%
2013 18.6% +10.7%
2014 18.9% +1.6%
2015 19.7% +4.2%
2016 20.0% +1.5%
2017 21.2% +6.0%
2018 21.8% +2.8%
2019 21.5% -1.4%
2020 23.9% +11.2%
2021 21.9% -8.4%
2022 19.6% -10.5%
2023 18.4% -6.1%

Malta compared with similar countries

  • Malta's 18.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 17.6%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 13.0% 10.4% 14.8% 5
2010s 19.1% 16.2% 21.8% 10
2020s 20.9% 18.4% 23.9% 4

Countries ranked near Malta

  1. 12 Iceland 18.7% compare
  2. 13 Hungary 18.6% compare
  3. 14 Germany 18.5% compare
  4. 16 Ireland 17.9% compare
  5. 17 Denmark 17.6% compare
  6. 18 Portugal 17.2% compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More reference data data for Malta

All data for Malta →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children living with a single parent in Malta?
Share of children living with a single parent in Malta was 18.4% in 2023, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children living with a single parent recorded in Malta?
The highest recorded value was 23.9% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of children living with a single parent recorded in Malta?
The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2005.
How does Malta rank for share of children living with a single parent?
Malta ranks 15th out of 34 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of children living with a single parent rising or falling in Malta?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malta data come from?
The figures come from OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children living with a single parent. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of children living with a single parent in Malta. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-children-living-with-a-single-parent/malta/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children living with a single parent
Unit
%
Source
OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
34 places, 630 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

Percentage of children aged 0-17 living with a single parent.