According to Eurostat, between 1 January 2013 and 2023, the population of the European Union increased by 7.5 million (or 1.7%); migration to Europe was the main driver of this growth.

The rate of population growth during this period was highest in Malta and Luxembourg, with their populations increasing overall by around a quarter (28.3% and 23.0%, respectively). In contrast, the biggest decreases in percentage terms were in Bulgaria (a decrease of 11.5%) and Croatia (a decrease of 9.6%).

In this context, a pertinent question arises: “Are you comfortable with the blending of cultures in our society?”.

This was one of the questions raised during the State of the Nation Survey. The replies show that the level of comfort has continued to fall compared to the last two years. On a scale from 1 (not comfortable at all) to 5 (very comfortable), the average is 2.76.

According to the survey, “the influx of foreigners over the last few years may lead to the Maltese not feeling comfortable with multiculturalism. Young people aged 26-35 are most comfortable with the mixing of cultures in our society (average 3.05), although there are still no significant differences.”

Malta’s relationship with multiculturalism

On this subject, we spoke with anthropologist Dr Rachael Scicluna, whose job is to analyse human culture, human evolution, and differences between different societies. We asked her to provide a historical context about Malta’s relationship with multiculturalism. She explained that society and demography in Malta and Gozo have always had an element of multiculturalism for political and geographical reasons.

“Malta, like many other southern European countries, has traditionally seen higher levels of emigration than immigration. It was only in the first years of the 21st century that immigration levels started to rise,” Dr Scicluna explained. She added that, after joining the EU in 2004, Malta became an attractive centre for labour migration from other member states. In parallel, since 2003, Malta has received a steady influx of asylum seekers, peaking in 2008 and increasing again in 2013 before falling noticeably after 2014.

“As a result, the country has moved from an ethnically homogeneous society to a multi-ethnic one, now having the highest population density in the EU and, for the first time, a higher percentage of men compared to women. The latter is also an anomaly within a European context,” observed the anthropologist.

Dr Scicluna went on to explain the facts. According to figures released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2021, in 2020 alone a total of 14,822 persons emigrated to Malta; more than half of these migrants were non-EU nationals, including British nationals.

Census data from 2021 showed that the population in the country includes 411,384 Maltese nationals, 52,761 EU nationals, and 50,419 non-EU nationals or “third country nationals” (TCNs). More than one in five residents (115,449 — around 20% of the country’s population) are foreign nationals, which represents a five-fold increase in the share of foreigners since 2011.

The impact

“Such demographic change has undoubtedly had an impact on local culture, which is not necessarily negative. In my opinion, the strong increase in regular migrants has mainly affected the entertainment industry, iGaming, and the housing sector,” noted Dr Scicluna.

“For example, the unprecedented increase in the foreign population played a major role in the growth of the private rental sector, which opened an opportunity for a sector based on more professional policies in the housing market. The national identity of Maltese housing has changed at governmental, political, and social levels. Before 2020, the housing market was informal and relied mainly on the goodwill of the owner and tenant. Nowadays, we see a more policy-oriented and regulated market,” said the anthropologist.

She also mentioned the positive development of the concept of the “work agent” (or “labour agent”), which resembles the traditional role of the “broker”. The work agent operates mainly within diverse migrant communities, solving various aspects of migrant life in Malta, including housing, often before the migrants arrive in the country.

“This suggests that migrants who rely on work agents do not have to seek accommodation themselves, thus avoiding direct interaction with real estate agencies and owners, as the work agent takes care of the search and housing arrangements on their behalf,” said Dr Scicluna.

An anthropological point of view

Of course, the arrival of foreigners presents several challenges, even from an anthropological point of view. For example, some nationalities are believed to be more favoured than others for various reasons, including stereotypical perceptions attributed to certain nationalities.

“Where housing is concerned, for example, some owners differentiate between Europeans, preferring one nationality over another, such as Swedes instead of Italians. This perception is largely influenced by negative experiences of the landlord. For example, Libyans were replaced by Indians. Other stereotypical assumptions relate to the cultural perception of cleanliness, according to Maltese values and standards,” observed Dr Scicluna.

We asked what factors she thinks lead to a somewhat higher level of comfort with multiculturalism among younger Maltese. She replied that education and mainstreaming play a major role in the way children and young people relate to immigrants. The iGaming industry has opened up new employment opportunities, where we see young people working in a multicultural environment. Additionally, she noted that nowadays school classes are often multi-ethnic due to second-generation migrants and new arrivals.

She added that policies, and more importantly their implementation, are essential in educating the public about cultural diversities. “Educational campaigns by the government are important as they can reduce the impact of misinformation and fake news about different cultures. Emphasis on human rights is just as important, especially when it comes to hate speech,” said the anthropologist.

What about the politicians’ role?

We then spoke about the way politicians speak about foreigners. She noted that over the last few years, she has observed a change in the way politicians address the “migrant issue” publicly. “By 2020, there seemed to be some resistance to discuss the issue of international migration in Malta and Gozo. However, due to the economic contributions of migrants working in Malta, politicians are now more inclined to address the realities of migrants, including human rights. This can also be attributed to the fact that migrants themselves are listening to the government and the public,” Dr Scicluna observed.

Not only in Malta

Of course, Malta is not alone in this experience. Like other southern European countries, it has seen a large influx of migrants over the past decade. Malta, similar to Greece and Southern Italy, is one of the main countries of first entry into the EU for migrants arriving in Europe from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. They all have a long tradition of both immigration and emigration. Beyond providing basic assistance to migrants on arrival, these southern European countries face many challenges to guarantee the inclusion and effective integration of migrants in the long term, including full access to basic rights and services, including access to decent and affordable housing.

The road ahead

Finally, we asked Dr. Scicluna how, based on current trends, she thinks the relationship between Maltese citizens and foreign residents will evolve in the next decade.

“Major steps have been taken at the government level to address the issue of social integration and cohesion. This can be observed through the development of the Strategy for the Integration of Migrants and the Action Plan (Vision 2020),” Dr Scicluna noted.

While acknowledging this as a positive step in the right direction, she added that such initiatives demonstrate political will and change the way we understand other cultures. “However, the law always precedes social change by at least 10 years. Therefore, I hope that, by 2034, we will reach a point where we can coexist in harmony with other cultures,” the anthropologist concluded.

Main photo: Norma Mortenson