Malta

THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA is composed of five islands in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy. The islands of Malta, Gozo, Comino, Comminotto, and Filflawith have a combined population of 398,534. Originally a possession of Great Britain, Malta became part of the British Commonwealth of Nations upon achieving independence in 1964. In 1975, Malta opted to become a republic. The island economy has been expanding since the mid-1980s because of Malta's status as a transshipment point and the development of a thriving financial center. Tourism continues to provide a major portion of government revenues. In 2004, Malta joined the European Union.

With a per-capita income of $18,200, Malta is considered a high-income nation. While the only natural resources are deposits of limestone and salt, Malta benefits from a productive labor force and a favorable geographic location. Over 70 percent of the labor force are engaged in services, and 24 percent are employed in industry, mostly electronics and textiles. Only five percent of the population are employed in agriculture, producing one-fifth of Malta's food supply. The islands have limited freshwater resources and must import all energy requirements. Foreign investment is crucial to Malta's economic stability, which has suffered from a sluggish European economy in recent years. Unemployment currently stands at seven percent.

Malta has almost no poverty other than comparative poverty, but isolated pockets of poverty do exist. While social security provides a basic standard of living, working families are sometimes forced to choose among basic requirements. Overall the poorest individuals on Malta are female-headed households with small children, elderly women, and rural residents. Over the past decade, Malta has instituted a number of measures designed to improve the quality of life by recognizing the importance of families to society. Benefits have been established for part-time workers, most of whom are female, and family leave has been expanded.

Malta's population enjoys a healthy life expectancy of 78.86 years. With a projected life span of 81.15 [Page 678]years, women tend to outlive men (76.7 years) by five years. The median age on Malta is 38.36 years. More than 17 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and 13.6 percent have reached the age of 65. The entire population has access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. Healthcare is widely accessible, and there are 291 physicians for every 100,000 residents. Less than five percent of Maltese lack access to affordable essential drugs.

Between 1970 and 2005, infant mortality on Malta dropped from 25 to 3.89 deaths per 1,000 live births. At the same time, mortality among all children under the age of 5 fell from 32 to six deaths per 1,000. With one exception, childhood immunization rates for children from birth to 23 months are in the midto high 90s. The rate of infant immunizations against measles rose from 80 percent in 1990 to 85 percent in 2002.

On the average, Maltese women bear 1.5 children each. The fertility rate among adolescents is nine births per 1,000. Healthcare is free on Malta at the point of use, and the islands have made prenatal and antenatal care widely available. Approximately 98 percent of births in Malta take place in the presence of trained medical staff. Out of every 100,000 live births, not a single mother dies. Among the Maltese population over the age of 10, 92.8 percent can read and write. With a literacy rate of 93.6 percent, women are more literate than men (92 percent). Primary school completion rates are over 100 percent, and most Maltese children attend school for at least 14 years.

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