Malta is a deeply Catholic nation, yet its religious landscape is rapidly shifting today.

Science · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: With a constitutional mandate for Catholicism and crucifixes in every public building, Malta remains one of Europe's most religious states. However, recent data reveals a striking decline in traditional participation, from falling Sunday Mass attendance to a surge in civil weddings and students opting out of religious instruction.

Malta’s identity is formally intertwined with the Roman Catholic apostolic religion, which is established as the state religion under Article 2 of the Constitution. This influence permeates public life, where state-sanctioned crucifixes are displayed in hospitals, classrooms, and government buildings. Furthermore, the Catholic Church holds the right to define moral principles, and religious instruction remains part of the compulsory curriculum in state schools. Despite this, the legal framework provides a safety valve: Article 40 guarantees freedom of conscience, allowing students to decline religious lessons and ensuring that individual rights prevail if they conflict with the state's religious provisions.

The societal shift is measurable. While 93% of the population identified as Catholic in a 2018 survey, active engagement is waning. Sunday Mass attendance, which stood at 75.1% in 1982, plummeted to roughly 40% by 2015. This trend is mirrored in life events; by 2018, civil weddings had overtaken church weddings for the first time. Education is also changing, with the number of students opting out of religious lessons increasing by 142% between 2014 and 2019, leading to the introduction of ethics classes as an alternative.

While Catholicism remains the dominant faith, the religious demographic is diversifying. The Eastern Orthodox population has grown significantly, rising from at least 5,000 believers in 2014 to 16,457 by the 2021 census. Meanwhile, the state has moved toward secularization in other areas, such as the 2011 introduction of divorce, the 2016 decriminalization of religious vilification, and the 2017 legalization of same-sex marriage. These developments highlight a nation navigating the tension between its deeply rooted Catholic heritage and the evolving values of its modern population.

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