Share of population living in urban areas in Malta

Malta: Share of population living in urban areas was 95.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
95.1%
Rank
14th
of 236 regions
All-time high
95.1%
in 2020
All-time low
90.2%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Malta, 1950–2020

0204060801001950198520201950: 90.2 %1955: 90.9 %1960: 91.3 %1965: 91.1 %1970: 90.9 %1975: 91.1 %1980: 92.1 %1985: 91.7 %1990: 92.5 %1995: 93.6 %2000: 94.1 %2005: 94.1 %2010: 94.1 %2015: 94.3 %2020: 95.1 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Malta is 95.1%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Malta peaked at 95.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 90.2%, in 1950.

That places Malta 14th out of 236 regions with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 90.6% 90.2% 90.9% 2
1960s 91.2% 91.1% 91.3% 2
1970s 91.0% 90.9% 91.1% 2
1980s 91.9% 91.7% 92.1% 2
1990s 93.1% 92.5% 93.6% 2
2000s 94.1% 94.1% 94.1% 2
2010s 94.2% 94.1% 94.3% 2
2020s 95.1% 95.1% 95.1% 1

Countries ranked near Malta

  1. 11 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 96.8% compare
  2. 12 Kuwait 96.2% compare
  3. 13 Aruba 95.3% compare
  4. 15 Curacao 94.6% compare
  5. 16 Taiwan 94.6% compare
  6. 17 Palestine 94.1% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Malta

All data for Malta →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Malta?
Share of population living in urban areas in Malta was 95.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Malta?
The highest recorded value was 95.1% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Malta?
The lowest recorded value was 90.2% in 1950.
How does Malta rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Malta ranks 14th out of 236 regions with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Malta?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malta data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.