Malta recorded more births than deaths during the first six months of 2026, according to new figures released by Identità.Between January and June, the Public Registry recorded 2,375 births, including 1,216 boys and 1,159 girls, compared to 2,206 deaths, resulting in a natural increase of 169 people. Of the births, 166 were registered in Gozo, while 202 deaths occurred on the sister island.The agency also reported 956 marriages during the same period, with 871 taking place in Malta.Meanwhile, the Passport Office issued 30,107 new passports, alongside 89 emergency travel documents and 167 identity documents for people needing to leave Malta.Identità also highlighted increased enforcement activity during the first half of the year. Its compliance unit carried out 122 inspections, 30 more than during the same period in 2025, launched 301 investigations, and detained 112 people, who were referred to the police for further investigation.In addition, more than 3,000 deregistrations were processed following requests from property owners, leading to the revocation of 407 residence permits.Do these figures surprise you?•