A fascinating document recently shared by Paul Pullicino on Facebook dates back to 1808, titled ‘Populations of the Island of Malta and Gozo’. Written in Italian, which was the dominant language for official matters at the time, the document provides a snapshot of the population of each locality. However, it’s striking to see that the list is much shorter than the one we’d see today.

Many commenters on the post pointed out that several localities, including Sliema, had yet to be established. They also noted that the large populations of areas like Valletta and Floriana - over 24,000, which is near the current population of Birkirkara - may have included surrounding areas like Msida, which seem to have been excluded from the list.

Gozo also seems to have several localities missing, with just seven being listed, including the Citadel and Rabat – note that the Citadel actually had dwellers at the time! – as well as Gharb, Nadur and Zebbug.

The total population of both Malta and Gozo in 1808 was 93,011, a number that has grown more than fivefold over the past 200 years.

Did your locality make the list?