In June, the Government of Malta announced the restoration of a government-owned building on Old Bakery Street in Valletta to be converted into a community centre for LGBTI people and their families.

In July, the government launched psycho-social services for LGBTI individuals, offering personalised and group support sessions at the Wellbeing Hub in A3 Towers, Paola, with plans to relocate to the Old Bakery Street building in Valetta once its renovation is complete.

Civil society made four recommendations to the government to amend the asylum system and legislation that fails to protect LGBTI asylum seekers from discrimination and violence, and prevents them from enjoying the same rights as Maltese citizens. The recommendations build on concerns highlighted by the government’s LGBTIQ Equality Strategy and Action Plan (2023- 2027), launched the previous year, which aimed to combat discrimination and violence but left gaps in protections for LGBTIQ+ migrants and refugees.

According to a Eurobarometer survey on discrimination, 77% of Maltese respondents believe that school lessons and educational materials should include information about LGBTI identities.

Additionally, 78% of Maltese respondents agree that school lessons should also cover sexual orientation.

An audit by the National Audits Office published in December slammed the EuroPride 2023 budget blowout and discrepancies in procurement procedures and documentation, which significantly exceeded its original budget of €2.5 million by 86%.

Seven NGOs expressed frustration over the lack of consultation and transparency regarding the costs of EuroPride.

In January, Checkpoint Malta announced it would host free, community-led HIV testing sessions throughout the year in Valletta, Gozo, and Paola. These sessions address a vital need for accessible and stigma-free HIV testing, which is not consistently available through public health services.

The National Strategic Policy for Active Ageing 2023–2030  includes measures to address the specific needs of older LGBTI individuals. One such measure is the establishment of a national working group tasked with mapping both the common and unique social and healthcare challenges faced by the LGBTI population. The National Sexual Health Policy was launched for public consultation in December 2024 after being last updated in 2010. The Minister for Health announced that PrEP and PEP will be free in 2025, but it is unclear if they will be universally accessible.

In March, it was reported that gender-affirming care was being delayed at the Gender Wellbeing Clinic since July 2023, due to the resignation of the psychiatrist. In October, the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM) staged a demonstration outside the Ministry of Health, calling on authorities to address ongoing and critical delays in gender-affirming care, which left new patients without the essential healthcare services that were promised by the government.

The data from the 2021 Census by the National Statistics Office (NSO) was published in January, and collected data on sexual orientation for the first time. 2.5% of individuals over 16 identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or a different sexual orientation. The rate was three times higher in foreigners than Maltese. The NSO placed Gżira ahead of its neighbouring areas for the percentage of LGBTI residents, with 509 out of 9,442 identifying as LGBT.

A survey conducted by the EU Agency for Human Rights revealed that 62% of LGBTI people in Malta feel comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation, surpassing the EU average of 51%.

The Maltese nominee for European Commissioner, Glenn Micallef, was asked about his position on trans athletes participating in women’s sports in the parliamentary hearing to approve his nomination. He responded that decisions should be left to the sporting organisations that decide on such issues, and that “sport is for everyone, no matter the identity or gender”. He was later approved for European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport.

The first shelter providing supported accommodation for LGBTI people was completed by the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement, and inaugurated by the Prime Minister and Minister for Social Accommodation in December 2024. It is expected to start receiving residents in 2025.

Following the publication of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) LGBTIQ survey, Rebecca Buttigieg, Malta’s Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms, acknowledged that while progress has been made, further efforts to identify other needed policies to counter discrimination and safeguard the rights of LGBTI people are needed to ensure full equality and inclusivity.

In July, the Human Rights Directorate of the Government of Malta published a progress report for its ‘LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy & Action Plan’, covering the period from January 2023 to July 2024.

In September, Malta implemented a new law that allows non- binary identities to be officially recognised on birth certificates. The new law builds upon the 2018 Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics Act that granted trans people the right to update their legal gender by further expanding these rights.

In March, activists in Valletta held a march for International Women’s Day, calling for significant reforms on abortion rights and domestic violence. Participants particularly highlighted the need to address Malta’s stringent abortion laws. The criticism focused mainly on recent legislative changes that further limit access to abortion, and the prioritisation by both politicians and the Church of embryo protection over women’s rights.

The 2024 Malta Pride Week took place from September 6 to 15, commemorating 20 years since the country’s first Pride celebration. The theme for this year, #20YearsofPride, highlighted not only the celebration of diversity but also the continued fight for LGBTI rights and visibility.

In November, the Malta’s Nationalist Party (PN) reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen LGBTI rights in Malta, to ensure the LGBTI community continues to benefit from legislation that promotes inclusivity.