National Statistics Office (NSO) data reveals six localities that had more foreign residents than Maltese by the end of 2024.The six localities are St Paul’s Bay, Pietà, Msida, Gżira, Sliema and St Julian’s. The number of localities that fall in this category doubled since 2021 which saw three localities with more foreign residents than Maltese.In Msida, 64% of the 16,609 residents are foreign nationals, while St Paul’s Bay, Malta’s largest locality with 40,204 residents, has 63% non-Maltese inhabitants. Gżira ranks third, with 60% of its 12,054 residents being foreigners.St Julian’s is not far behind, with foreigners making up 57% of its 15,208 residents. Pietà and Sliema each have a foreign resident concentration of 55%, with populations of 7,087 and 22,730, respectively. These figures show a clear upward trend from 2021, when only Msida, St Paul’s Bay, and Gżira had a majority of foreign nationals, while St Julian’s, Sliema, and Pietà were close to reaching that threshold.Over the three-year period, Pietà experienced the largest increase in foreign residents, with a 10-point rise. Msida and St Paul’s Bay each recorded a nine-point increase, Gżira and St Julian’s grew by eight points, and Sliema saw a six-point increase.According to the NSO data, Malta’s overall population reached 574,250 by the end of 2024, driven largely by higher immigration. Foreign nationals now account for nearly 30% of the population, totalling 168,938 residents who live and work in the country.The population increase is mirrored in the growth of residential developments. Since 2021, the Planning Authority approved 6,596 permits, translating into 36,148 new dwellings, most of which are apartments.These developments reflect the rising demand for housing driven by the influx of foreign residents and underscore the evolving demographic landscape of Malta’s urban centres.What do you make of this data?•