The Labour government brought in more than 110,000 foreign nationals in 13 years.
Documentary fact, conservative undercount. Eurostat and NSO data: Malta issued over 119,200 first residence permits for employment purposes between 2015 and 2024 alone. Foreign-born residents grew from ~5.5% of population in 2012 to ~25-32% by 2024, an increase of approximately 130,000-150,000 people. Carabott's 110,000+ figure is on the conservative side of the documented inflow.
Documentary fact, conservative undercount. Eurostat and NSO data: Malta issued over 119,200 first residence permits for employment purposes between 2015 and 2024 alone. Foreign-born residents grew from ~5.5% of population in 2012 to ~25-32% by 2024, an increase of approximately 130,000-150,000 people. Carabott's 110,000+ figure is on the conservative side of the documented inflow.
We tested Carabott's claim against Eurostat single-permits-for-employment issuance (migr_resfirst), Eurostat foreign-born population stock (migr_pop1ctz), Eurostat demographic balance (demo_gind), NSO migration releases, and Central Bank of Malta foreign-workers analysis. The methodological question is which migration measure best matches 'brought in' and whether the 110,000+ figure survives across gross-inflow, net-migration and foreign-born-stock framings.
Verdict lands at Mostly True because every measure clears the threshold — over 119,200 single employment permits issued 2015-2024 alone, and a foreign-born population increase of roughly 130,000-150,000 since 2012 — though the 'brought in' framing leans toward gross inflow (some workers leave after a few years) and bundles EU free-movement entrants with third-country nationals. The deep-dive lays out the three measures side by side and Malta's EU-leading 266% foreign-born growth; this editorial note is methodology only.
Did Labour really bring in more than 110,000 foreign nationals in 13 years
Migration scale under PL governance is one of the most-documented features of the post-2013 economy. Carabott's 110,000+ figure is testable against three primary-source migration measures — work permits issued, foreign-born population stock change, and net migration balance — all of which confirm or exceed the headline number. The deep-dive lays out each measure, the annual trajectory, and where Malta sits in the EU.
Inflow scorecard — three primary-source measures
Each row below captures a different way of measuring 'foreign nationals brought in'. All three measures put the cumulative figure above Carabott's 110,000+ claim.
| Measure | Period | Value | vs 110K claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single permits for employment (gross flow) | 2015 — 2024 | 119,200+ | Above |
| Foreign-born population growth (net stock) | 2012 — 2024 | ~130,000 — 150,000 | Above |
| Foreign-born share of population | 2012 → 2024 | 5.5% → 25-32% | Consistent |
| Foreign-born population growth rate | 2013 — 2023 | +266% | Largest in EU |
| Carabott's claim | 110,000+ | Conservative lower-bound | |
The work-permits measure is the strictest test of "brought in" — it counts new permits issued, not the standing foreign-born population. On that measure alone, Malta exceeds Carabott's 110,000+ figure within just the 2015-2024 window. The full PL period includes 2013-2014 inflows not captured here.
Annual single permits for employment, 2015-2024
The trajectory is sharply rising. Annual issuance grew from 5,970 in 2015 to 67,392 in 2024 — an 11-fold expansion, with a brief COVID-related dip in 2020 before resuming sharper growth.
The cumulative area under this curve — total permits issued 2015-2024 — is the 119,200+ headline figure. The pattern is consistent with a structural labour-market shift, not a one-off event.
Where the migration is sectorally concentrated
Per the Central Bank of Malta's 2024 'Assessing the Economic Impact of Foreign Workers in Malta':
- Tourism and hospitality: large share of TCN employment, particularly in restaurants and accommodation services.
- Construction and skilled trades: significant TCN employment, often via licensed staffing arrangements.
- Online gaming and tech: skilled EU and TCN workers in the iGaming sector and adjacent tech.
- Care and health: nurses, carers, allied health professionals — significant Filipino, Indian, and other TCN cohorts.
- Financial services and professional services: smaller share but visible cluster.
Where Malta sits in the EU on foreign-born population growth
Malta's 266% increase in foreign-born population over 2013-2023 is the largest of any EU member state, by a wide margin. The chart below ranks the top 10 EU economies on this measure plus the EU-27 average.
The visual gap between Malta (~266%) and the next-highest EU member state (Ireland, ~80%) is the substantive story. Malta's foreign-born population growth has been roughly 3.3× that of the next-fastest-growing EU economy and roughly 9× the EU-27 average. Whichever way you measure inflow, Malta sits in a category of its own.
What's driving the inflow
Three structural drivers identified in the 2024 Central Bank of Malta analysis and the 2025 Maltese Labour Migration Policy document:
- Demand-side: fast post-2013 economic growth created persistent labour shortages in service-sector and skilled-trades positions that the domestic Maltese workforce couldn't fill.
- Supply-side: Malta's English-language working environment and EU access made it attractive to both EU and TCN migrants.
- Regulatory: Maltese work-permit and TCN-licensing framework relatively accessible compared to peer EU jurisdictions, particularly for service-sector roles.
Where Carabott's framing is fair
Carabott's substantive critique is that the migration inflow has had infrastructure and quality-of-life consequences (covered in #J03 population growth, #257 traffic, #J01 workplace stress, #262 housing) that need to be acknowledged. The factual basis (110,000+ inflow) is well-documented and conservative.
Where Carabott's framing oversimplifies
Two qualifications:
- Net vs gross: 110,000+ is approximately the gross inflow figure. Net migration (inflow minus outflow) is somewhat lower because some workers leave after 1-3 year stints. The standing change in foreign-born population (~130-150K) is the truer 'arrived and stayed' measure.
- Composition: not all 110,000+ are 'foreign nationals' in the politically loaded sense — many are EU citizens (Italians, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Romanian) using free-movement rights, and many are short-term work permits rather than permanent residents.
So is the claim accurate?
Yes, on the headline scale. Eurostat work-permits data (119,200+ between 2015-2024 alone) and population statistics (foreign-born population growing by ~130,000-150,000 across 2012-2024) both confirm an inflow exceeding 110,000. Carabott's figure is conservative; the actual scale is higher. The substantive critique about infrastructure consequences is well-supported by parallel fact-checks.