Editing Demographics of Malta (section)

=== Immigration ===
{| class="toc" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"  style="width:25%; float:right; text-align:center; clear:all; margin-left:8px; font-size:90%;"
|-
! colspan="20" style="background:green; color:white;"|Foreign population in Malta<ref name="Libyans"/>
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!width=15% |Year
!width=60% |Population
!width=25% |% total
|-
|2005 ||align=center|12,112||align=right|3.0%
|-
|2011 ||align=center|20,289||align=right|4.9%
|-
|2021 ||align=center|115,449||align=right|22.2%
|}

{{main|Immigration to Malta}}

Most of the foreign community in Malta, predominantly active or retired British nationals and their dependents, is centred on [[Sliema]] and surrounding modern suburbs. Other smaller foreign groups include Italians, French, and [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]], many of whom have assimilated into the Maltese nation over the decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070805/opinion/genetic-origin-of-contemporary-maltese|title=Genetic origin of contemporary Maltese|first=Allied Newspapers|last=Ltd|date=5 August 2007 }}</ref>

Since the late 20th century, Malta has become a transit country for migration routes from Africa towards Europe.<ref>{{cite news|title=Malta guards Europe's gates against African immigrants|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-oct-09-la-fg-malta-refugees-20101009-story.html|access-date=30 April 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310075319/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/09/world/la-fg-malta-refugees-20101009|archive-date=10 March 2012}}</ref>
As a member of the [[European Union]] and of the [[Schengen agreement]], Malta is bound by the [[Dublin Regulation]] to process all claims for asylum by those asylum seekers that enter EU territory for the first time in Malta.<ref>{{cite news|title= Maltese Anger Mounts Over Rising Illegal Immigration|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|url=http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,3621641,00.html|access-date=30 April 2012}}</ref>

Irregular migrants (formal [[Maltese language|Maltese]]: ''immigranti irregolari'', informal: ''klandestini'') who land in Malta are subject to a [[immigration detention|compulsory detention policy]], being held in several camps organised by the [[Armed Forces of Malta]] (AFM), including those near [[Ħal Far]] and [[Safi, Malta|Ħal Safi]]. The compulsory detention policy has been denounced by several NGOs, and in July 2010, the [[European Court of Human Rights]] found that Malta's detention of migrants was arbitrary, lacking in adequate procedures to challenge detention, and in breach of its obligations under the [[European Convention on Human Rights]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/18/malta-migrant-detention-violates-rights|title=Malta: Migrant Detention Violates Rights|date=18 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314162400/https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/18/malta-migrant-detention-violates-rights|archive-date=14 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Malta faces problems with children of illegal immigrants|work=[[Times of Malta]]|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080610/local/malta-faces-problems-with-children-of-illegal-immigrants.211803|access-date=30 April 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510111154/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080610/local/malta-faces-problems-with-children-of-illegal-immigrants.211803|archive-date=10 May 2011}}</ref>

Very few migrants arrived in Malta in 2015, despite the fact that the rest Europe was experiencing a [[European migrant crisis|migrant crisis]]. Most migrants who were rescued between Libya and Malta were taken to Italy, and some refused to be brought to Malta.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rescued migrants refusing to be brought to Malta|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150926/local/rescued-migrants-refusing-to-be-brought-to-malta.585856|access-date=26 September 2015|work=[[Times of Malta]]|date=26 September 2015}}</ref>