Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/847822
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 12 JULY 2017 4 News More babies born and more couples tied the knot in 2016 MIRIAM DALLI MALTA'S population has been steadily on the rise since 2005, reaching 440,433 in 2016. And the increase is not only because of immigration – the good news is that the number of babies born is also increas- ing, although at a slow pace. During 2016, 4,527 births were registered in Malta and Gozo – 642 more births compared to 10 years ago. On the other hand, last year, Malta registered seven deaths for every 1,000 persons, reach- ing a total of 3,342 deaths. Malta is the smallest EU coun- try, with its population, like Luxembourg's, making just 0.1% of the EU population. In 2016, immigration in- creased the population by 4,876 persons – which is four times more than the contribution of natural increase. More people got married in 2016, with the majority of the spouses aged between 25 and 34 years. The data was released by the National Statistics Office on World Population Day. Persons under 18 made up 17.2 per cent of the total population, while a further 19.4 per cent were aged 65 and over. Of these, 2,642 persons – 1,836 females and 806 males – were over 89. The population increase was mainly due to net migration (immigration less emigration). Live births registered during 2016 increased by 2.3 per cent over the previous year. During 2016, 150 babies, or 3.3 per cent, were born to teenage mothers. On the other hand, 64.2 per cent of babies were born to mothers aged between 25 and 34. Of the 3,342 deaths regis- tered during 2016, 62.8 per cent were persons aged over 74 years. Love knows no age 3,034 marriages took place in 2016, registered in Malta and Gozo. Civil marriages account- ed for 53.7 per cent of the total marriages, an increase of 9.9 per cent over the previous year. Of the total marriages reg- istered, 19.9 per cent were be- tween spouses aged 25-29. 30.5 per cent of grooms were between the ages of 25 and 29 while a further 29.9 per cent were aged between 30 and 34. On the other hand, 38.8 per cent of brides were between 25 and 29 years old and a further 23.9 per cent were between the ages of 30 and 34. A breakdown of the age group of the spouses provided by the NSO shows that two of the spouses were aged between 16 and 19 when they got married. A groom aged between 30 and 34 got married to a bride who was aged over 65, whilst a groom aged between 60 and 64 got married to a bride aged be- tween 20 and 24. 15 couples, aged 65 and over, also tied the knot. Malta has registered an increase in civil marriages Registered marriages in Malta and Gozo by type and year of marriage Registered live births by age group of mother/father in 2016 Statistics show a rise in babies born and couples getting married in 2016 • Love knows no age: 35 spouses were aged 60 and over Deaths by age reached at last birthday, 2015-2016