Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515076
15 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JANUARY 2024 is Malta's gayest town amounts to 3.6% of its total population, making it the lo- cality with the fifth highest concentration of LGBTIQ+ people. When only the Maltese pop- ulation is taken into account, it is proletarian Bormla that boasts the largest number of LGBTIQ+ people as a percent- age of the Maltese population. The census shows that 90 LGBTIQ+ people out of a Mal- tese population of 3,641 people live in the harbour town. Sig- nificantly 11% of all foreigners living in Bormla are also LGB- TIQ+ but these only number 45. Bormla is followed by Gżira and St Julian's where 2.3% of the Maltese population identi- fy as LGBTIQ+. While one finds six north harbour localities among the top 10 localities with the larg- est number of LGBTIQ+ peo- ple as a percentage of the to- tal population, there are five south harbour localities with the highest percentage of LG- BTIQ+ people. This suggests that while for- eign LGBTIQ+ people tend to gravitate towards more afflu- ent north harbour localities, less affluent harbour localities boast relatively higher per- centages of Maltese LGBTIQ+ people. Numerically it is Malta's three most populous localities – St Paul's Bay (260), Birkirkara (318) and Mosta (252) – which boast the largest community of Maltese LGBTIQ+ people. But in all these three localities LG- BTIQ+ people account for less than 2.1% of their respective population. The census also shows that the discrepancy between the relatively low number of Mal- tese LGBTIQ+ people and the higher numbers of non-heter- osexual foreigners is more pro- nounced in certain localities. For example, Sliema, which has an ageing local population, only has 122 Maltese people (1.4%) identified as LGBTIQ+. But the locality also includes 610 LGBTIQ non-Maltese res- idents which raise the total percentage to 4.1%. The census also shows that 13% of the expat LGB- TIQ+ community lives in St Paul's Bay (749) followed by Sliema (610) where 11% of the non-heterosexual foreigners live. Marsalforn is Gozo's gayest town In Gozo, only 1.8% of the total population identified as LGBTIQ+. Gozo's 605 strong LGBTIQ+ community includ- ed 256 Maltese citizens and 349 foreigners. Żebbuġ, which includes Marsalforn, registers the highest percentage of LG- BTIQ+ people (2.9%). But Gozo's most populous town, Victoria, boasts the larg- est number of LGBTIQ+ peo- ple (143). These account for 2.3% of Rabat's population. Overall, the census shows that there were 11,073 LGB- TIQ+ people living in Malta in 2021. These included 5,349 Maltese citizens and 5,724 people hail- ing from other countries. While only 1.6% of Maltese citizens declared themselves as having an LGBTIQ+ orien- tation, the percentage rises to 5.5% among foreign nationals living here. MGRM spokesperson Alex Caruana welcomed the census results which give recogni- tion to the community but de- scribed the figures as 'the tip of the iceberg', noting that older Maltese respondents particu- larly those who have never had the opportunity to come out, may have been reluctant to declare their LGBTIQ+ sexual orientation in the census. The first gay pride march took place in Gozo in 2022 Top 10 localities with highest percentage of LGBTQI + Number % of total popu- lation Gżira 509 5.4 St Julian's 488 4.6 Msida 523 4.2 Sliema 732 4.2 St Paul's Bay 1009 3.6 Bormla 135 3.3 Pieta 175 3.3 Valletta 149 3.2 Swieqi 348 3.2 Gudja 85 3.1 Top 10 localities with highest percentage of LGBT- QI+ persons who are Maltese citizens Number % Bormla 90 2.5 Gżira 102 2.3 St Julian's 119 2.3 Gudja 57 2.2 Valletta 84 2.1 Floriana 31 2.1 St Paul's Bay 260 2.1 Marsa 70 2 Msida 107 2 Poala 126 2 Where most foreign LGBTQI+ live Number % of LGBTQI foreigners living in Malta St Paul's Bay 749 13.1 Sliema 610 10.7 Msida 416 7.3 Gżira 407 7.1 St Julian's 369 6.4 Birkirkara 271 4.7 Swieqi 238 4.2 Marsaskala 187 3.3 San Gwann 178 3.1 Mellieħa 176 3.1