Factbook
History of Malta — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Malta, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1814Most recently a British colony (since 1814), Malta gained its independence in 1964 and declared itself a republic 10 years later.
1964Independence: 21 September 1964 (from the UK).
2004Malta became an EU member in 2004 and joined the eurozone in 2008.
2005Languages: Maltese (official) 90.1%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.9% (2005 est.) Religions: Roman Catholic (official) more than 90% (2006 est.) Urban population: 94.9% of total population (2023).
2018Major urban areas: 213,000 VALLETTA (capital) (2018) high-income, EU-member European economy; diversified portfolio; euro user; dependent on food and energy imports; strong tourism, trade, and manufacturing sectors; high North African immigration; large welfare system; educated workforce Inflation: 1.7% (2024 est.).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 86.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 13.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 234.698 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco, aviation services, financial services, information technology services Agriculture: milk, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, chicken, cauliflower/broccoli, cabbages, pork, pumpkins/squash, watermelons (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2024Military spending: 0.5% of GDP (2024 est.).
