Data & Analysis
By The Numbers: The Data Behind Malta's Housing Crisis
Malta Housing Watch | Billy J. McBee, ResidentiBeltin
Updated January 2026
10 min read
Numbers tell stories that words cannot. These are not abstractions - they are the documented evidence of a political choice to prioritise developer profit over residents' lives. This page tracks the key metrics defining Malta's housing crisis, verified against primary sources.
Property Market Overview
| Metric |
Value |
Period |
Source |
| Property Price Growth |
+5.7% |
Q3 2025 YoY |
CBM/NSO |
| Cumulative Price Increase |
+111.4% |
2013-2024 |
Foundation for Affordable Housing |
| Price Increase (9 years) |
+65% |
2015-2024 |
NSO |
| Housing Overburden Rate |
5.8% |
2024 |
Eurostat |
| Households in Housing Stress |
24,000+ |
2023 |
FAH |
| Price-to-Income Ratio |
14.5× (was 7× in 2000) |
2025 |
CBM/NSO |
| Foreign Investor Share (Chinese nationals) |
46.4% of investor permits |
2025 |
NSO/Planning Authority data |
Affordability Breakdown
| Household Type |
Income |
Affordable Properties |
| Couple (average income) |
€35,000 |
~33% |
| Couple (minimum wage) |
~€21,000 |
~2.2% |
| "Stretched class" |
€24,000-€38,000 |
Caught between social housing and market |
Demographics & Migration
| Year |
Total Population |
Foreign-Born |
Percentage |
| 2005 |
~404,000 |
12,112 |
3% |
| 2012 |
421,464 |
23,365 |
5.5% |
| 2020 |
~515,000 |
119,261 |
23% |
| 2022 |
542,051 |
137,376 |
25.3% |
| 2024 |
~562,000 |
173,700 |
30.9% |
"The foreign population grew five-fold between 2012 and 2022, rising from 23,365 to 137,376."
- National Statistics Office, 2024
Construction & Development
| Metric |
Value |
Period |
| New Dwellings Approved |
3,668 |
Q3 2025 |
| Year-on-Year Growth |
+110.3% |
Q3 2025 |
| Apartments (% of total) |
73.5% |
Q3 2025 |
| Residential Units Permitted (2024) |
8,716 |
Full year |
| Unpaid Planning Fines |
€16.5 million |
January 2026 |
Top Localities for New Development (Q3 2025)
| Locality |
New Dwellings Approved |
| San Pawl il-Baħar |
449 |
| Birżebbuġa |
291 |
| Marsaskala |
285 |
| Il-Mosta |
149 |
| Għajnsielem (Gozo) |
143 |
Tourism & Short-Term Rentals
| Metric |
Value |
Year |
| Tourist Arrivals |
3.56 million |
2024 |
| vs 2019 Peak |
+29% |
2024 |
| Airbnb/STR Listings |
~10,000 |
2025 |
| Estimated Unlicensed |
20-50% |
2025 |
| MTA Inspections (Complaints) |
474 |
2023 |
Unlicensed STRs by Area (Amphora Media Investigation)
| Area |
% Unlicensed |
| Gżira |
46% |
| Sliema |
30% |
| St Paul's Bay |
28% |
| Valletta |
~20% (1 in 5 dwellings) |
Governance Indicators
| Indicator |
Value |
Date |
| Corruption Perceptions Index Rank |
65th (lowest ever) |
Feb 2025 |
| Unpaid Planning Fines |
€16.5 million |
Jan 2026 |
| Illegal Units Identified (MTA) |
177 |
2025 |
Affordable Housing Initiatives
| Initiative |
Details |
Status |
| Foundation for Affordable Housing |
260 units at 30% below market |
Tendering (Sept 2025) |
| FAH Applications Received |
1,000+ registrations |
Nov 2025 |
| Social Housing Target |
-15-20% waiting list by 2035 |
Planned |
| €9M Budget Allocation |
Low-to-middle income support |
2025 Budget |
Data Sources
All data presented is sourced from:
- National Statistics Office (NSO): Population, building permits, property prices
- Central Bank of Malta: Housing statistics, rent indices
- Foundation for Affordable Housing: Affordability research
- Malta Tourism Authority: STR licenses
- Transparency International: Corruption index
- Amphora Media: Investigative reporting on unlicensed STRs
- The Shift News, Malta Today, Times of Malta: News reporting and investigations
Last updated: March 2026. Data is updated quarterly where possible.