Maltese in Belgium

Maltese in Belgium are people from Malta resident in Belgium, whether permanently or temporarily. They include Maltese who have acquired Belgian citizenship, students and workers with International organizations.

Population

Before 2003, the Maltese in Belgium were mostly people married to Belgians who had emigrated to the country or Maltese diplomats. In 2003 the employment of Maltese nationals with the European Union (EU) started in earnest in view of Malta's membership of the organisation.

Belgian national statistics show that the number of Maltese in Belgium stood at 252 as of 1 January 2008. Of these, 159 lived in Brussels, 70 in Flanders and 23 in Wallonia. This represents a significant increase over previous years: in 2005 the number of Maltese in Belgium stood at 133 and at 192 in 2006. A more recent estimate quotes the figure of 400 Maltese in Belgium in 2010.

Society

Most of the Maltese are in Belgium because of their employment with the EU. It is in fact estimated that of the 324 Maltese employed with the EU in 2010, around 250 worked in Belgium. This is why they consider themselves to expatriates rather than emigrants as was the case with the Maltese Diaspora in the demographic movements of previous generations.

This also explains why most Maltese in Belgium either live in the Brussels-Capital Region or the municipalities bordering this region, in the area in and around the Brussels Ring.

The 2008 statistics indicate a community that's more or less evenly balanced between the sexes and whose members are predominantly in the 25-40 age groups.

External links

• Maltin fil-Belġju asbl Association of Maltese living in Belgium