San Pawl il-Baħar

San Pawl il-Baħar, a city in Malta, had a population of 40,204 at the start of 2025. Owner occupation accounted for 51.2% of homes in November 2021.

JSON Markdown
Foreign residents25,244 peoplecity · Verified 2026-07-18Official source · Malta NSO official material — nso_mt_nr122_2025_table11_web_extract
Population40,204 peoplecity · Verified 2026-07-18Official source · Government Gazette no. 21,488 — Estimated Population by Locality, 1 January 2025
Dwellings23,738 dwellingscity · Verified 2026-07-18Official source · Malta NSO official material — nso_mt_census_2021_volume_2_web_extract
G05 Main Residential Dwellings14,890 dwellingscity · Verified 2026-07-18Official source · Census of Population and Housing 2021, Volume 2, dwelling tables
G05 Secondary Seasonal Vacant Dwellings8,848 dwellingscity · Verified 2026-07-18Official source · Census of Population and Housing 2021, Volume 2, dwelling tables
NO₂ — annual mean19.4951 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-18Official source · EEA Air Quality Statistics annual observations for Malta
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-07-18

Who San Pawl il-Baħar may suit

Relative profile scores use comparable published values. They are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

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Remote worker44%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 30–58% from published values
Skilled employee42%strong on work, weak on safety · range 28–56% from published values
Student47%strong on education, weak on healthcare · range 33–61% from published values
Family48%strong on family, weak on cost · range 34–62% from published values
Retirement48%strong on healthcare, weak on admin · range 34–62% from published values

Population and city profile

The city covered 14.5 km² in 2021. Population density was 2,206 people per km² in 2021.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
San Pawl il-Baħar residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport37.2%Foreign residents62.8%

Derived from the published population and foreign-resident counts.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
City area14.5 km22026-07-182021Official sourceMalta NSO official material — nso_mt_census_2021_volume1_table1_10_web_extract Source-backed value
Foreign-resident share62.8 %2026-07-182024Official sourceMalta NSO official material — nso_mt_nr122_2025_table11_web_extract Source-backed value
Foreign residents25,244 people2026-07-182024Official sourceMalta NSO official material — nso_mt_nr122_2025_table11_web_extract Source-backed value
Population density2,206 people/km²2026-07-182021Official sourceMalta NSO official material — nso_mt_census_2021_volume1_table1_10_web_extract Source-backed value
Population40,204 people2026-07-18AgingOfficial sourceGovernment Gazette no. 21,488 — Estimated Population by Locality, 1 January 2025 Source-backed value

Housing

The dwelling profile lists 14,890 main residences and 8,848 secondary, seasonal or vacant dwellings in November 2021.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Dwellings23,738 dwellings2026-07-182021Official sourceMalta NSO official material — nso_mt_census_2021_volume_2_web_extract Source-backed value
G05 Main Residential Dwellings14,890 dwellings2026-07-182021Official sourceCensus of Population and Housing 2021, Volume 2, dwelling tables Source-backed value
G05 Secondary Seasonal Vacant Dwellings8,848 dwellings2026-07-182021Official sourceCensus of Population and Housing 2021, Volume 2, dwelling tables Source-backed value

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 9.52 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual NO₂ was 19.5 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
San Pawl il-Baħar annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5259.5PM2.5154030.5PM10104019.5NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
NO₂ — annual mean19.4951 µg/m³2026-07-182024Official sourceEEA Air Quality Statistics annual observations for Malta Source-backed value
PM10 — annual mean30.5055 µg/m³2026-07-182024Official sourceEEA Air Quality Statistics annual observations for Malta Source-backed value
PM2.5 — annual mean9.5215 µg/m³country median 12.0 — 21% below2026-07-182024Official sourceEEA Air Quality Statistics annual observations for Malta Source-backed value
Annual PM2.5 over time10 published observations, 2015–2024
Annual PM2.5 in San Pawl il-Baħar by year, µg/m³9.310.311.212.22015201720192021202320249.5µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 20.7% between 2015 and 2024, from 12.0 to 9.5.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Additional context

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Owner-occupied homes51.16 %2026-07-182021Official sourceMalta NSO official material — nso_mt_census_2021_volume2_table2_10_web_extract Source-backed value

Worked out from these numbers

Arithmetic on the published values above. Each one names what it assumed.

How international is the population?

62.8% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 25,244 people of 40,204 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

Is the air quality good in San Pawl il-Baħar?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9.5215 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is above the WHO guideline but within the EU limit. Source: EEA Air Quality Statistics annual observations for Malta, checked 2026-07-18.

How many people live in San Pawl il-Baħar?

The published population is 40,204 people. Source: Government Gazette no. 21,488 — Estimated Population by Locality, 1 January 2025, checked 2026-07-18.

How many foreign residents live in San Pawl il-Baħar?

25,244 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Malta NSO official material — nso_mt_nr122_2025_table11_web_extract, checked 2026-07-18.

Cities of a similar size in Malta

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Malta cities

Sources

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.