He was born in Zejtun – the youngest of two brothers.

He graduated with a Bachelor of legal studies and Umanistici (European studies) in 2001 and a doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in 2004. He continued to study to obtain a diploma in Canon jurisprudence in 2005 from the Metropolitan Ecclesiastical Tribunal.

He worked as a lawyer in private practice and teaches at the Faculty of Laws of the University of Malta as a teaching Associate. Minister Bonnici moved forward in the political field step by step. He started as a councillor and then Deputy Mayor in Marsascala. He was also elected several times as a Member of the Labour Party’s National Executive.

He was elected to Parliament for the first time in 2008 at the age of 27. On the day of the vote of that general election, he had become a father of EMA.

Between 2008 and 2013, Minister Bonnici served as Opposition Spokesperson for Youth and Culture, followed by higher Education, University and Research. When he was appointed Labour Government in 2013 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Justice and then, between 2014 and 2017, he served as Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government.

He was re-elected in the 2017 general election and reconfirmed as Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government until he was appointed Minister for Education and Employment in 2020. He was subsequently assigned responsibility for Research, Innovation and the Co-ordination of the Post-COVID-19 Strategy and later, on 26 March 2021, for Equality in addition to his responsibilities.

In the 2022 general election, Dr Bonniċi was elected by the two districts in which he contested and on 30 March he was appointed Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.

Owen Bonnici’s greatest hobby is football and holds with Southampton FC. He loves reading, music, art and culture.

He lives with Remenda Grech, Żurrieq.