Religion in Malta

The majority of Malta’s population is Roman Catholic and indeed Roman Catholicism is also the state religion. For such a tiny island there are 365 churches! Most of these churches were built around the 17th century and they are still a very prominent element of the Maltese culture and way of life. Data collected by the Vatican in 2006 indicate that 93.89% of the population is Roman Catholic which makes it one of the most catholic countries in the world.

History believes that Malta became a Catholic country after the arrival of St Paul when he was shipwrecked on his way to Rome. As time passed the various rulers in Malta brought with them different religions but when Malta regained it’s independence Catholicism became the main religion again.

Religion is very important in Malta and many religious traditions like Christmas and Easter are celebrated. Every year each town or village also has a festa which celebrates the patron saint of that town or village. You can find out more about the festas on our Malta festa page.

In more recent years there have been an increase of residents with other faiths in Malta such as Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Muslims. However, the majority of residents of different faiths are not Maltese citizens.