Workplace accidents rise slightly in first half of 2025

Malta recorded 2,188 non-fatal workplace accidents between January and June 2025, a marginal increase from 2,179 during the same period last year, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The data shows that men accounted for the majority of cases (77.3 per cent), with 1,690 incidents compared to 498 among women.

Construction and manufacturing remain high-risk sectors

The construction industry continued to rank among the most accident-prone, with 288 non-fatal incidents reported, representing 13.2 per cent of all cases. Manufacturing followed closely, with 351 cases (16 per cent). Together, these two sectors accounted for nearly one-third of all workplace accidents in the first six months of the year.

Transportation and storage (9.5 per cent), administrative and support services (10.6 per cent), and wholesale and retail trade (10 per cent) were also among the sectors registering a high number of incidents.

The NSO noted that 31.8 per cent of reported cases in 2025 led to absences of three days or fewer. A further 25.9 per cent resulted in workers missing between seven and 13 days of work, while almost one in five (17.8 per cent) involved absences exceeding 21 days.

Younger and middle-aged workers most affected

The data indicates that workers aged 25 to 44 remain the most vulnerable, making up just over half of all reported accidents. The 35–44 age group alone accounted for 26.1 per cent of total cases. Meanwhile, those aged 55 and over represented 16.6 per cent of workplace accidents.

Non-EU nationals were disproportionately represented, accounting for 25.8 per cent of all incidents despite forming a smaller share of the workforce. EU nationals (excluding Maltese) accounted for 5.1 per cent, while Maltese workers made up the remaining 69.1 per cent.

The NSO also recorded four fatal workplace accidents during the first half of 2025, the same number as in the revised figures for the corresponding period in 2024.