Malta’s population is projected to grow by around 26% by the end of the century, making it one of the fastest-growing populations in the European Union, according to new Eurostat projections.Under Eurostat’s baseline scenario, Malta’s population is expected to increase by 25.6% by 2050 and 26% by 2100. Only Luxembourg is projected to record stronger growth among EU member states.The figures stand in sharp contrast to the EU as a whole. The bloc’s population is projected to peak at around 453.3 million in 2029 before falling to 445 million in 2050 and 398.8 million by 2100, an overall decline of almost 12%.Migration is expected to play a major role in Malta’s continued population growth. Eurostat says persistent positive net migration is the only driver of population growth in countries projected to expand over the period, while Malta is eventually expected to record more deaths than births overall.At the same time, Malta’s population is projected to become significantly older.The median age is expected to rise from 40 years in 2025 to 55.1 years in 2100, an increase of more than 15 years and one of the sharpest projected rises in Europe.Eurostat stresses that these figures are projections rather than forecasts. They show what could happen if assumptions surrounding fertility, mortality and migration hold over the coming decades.What do you make of Malta’s population potentially growing by another 26% by 2100?•