British retirees in Malta: components of the cross-national relationship

The paper focuses on three aspects of the retirement of British citizens to Malta and Gozo: the evolution of the British settlement, four pathways to the islands, and the formation of the current demographic and household characteristics. The principal primary sources are the 1995 Maltese electoral roll of aliens, and a 1995–96 self-completion questionnaire survey of British residents aged at least 50 years administered as part of the ESRC-supported International Retirement Migration Study reported in this issue. In contrast to the study populations in Spain and Portugal, the Maltese settlers have had diverse connections with the local population and society, many through birth and by marriage. Maltese labour migration to the UK has made an important contribution to their formation, as have the former colonial and British armed forces connections. The immigration of British retirees to Malta has fluctuated in volume and character over the last 35 years, partly in response to changes in Maltese fiscal and residence policies, and partly reflecting the changing demand for overseas retirement settlement in the UK. The substantial contribution of intercommunal married couples to the British retired resident population and the buoyancy of both tourist visits and new arrivals suggests that its size will at least be stable or will grow slowly for many decades to come.