Malta
Malta⌘K
Overview
- Background
- With a civilization that dates back thousands of years, Malta boasts some of the oldest megalithic sites in the world. Situated in the center of the Mediterranean, Malta’s islands have long served as a strategic military asset, with the islands at various times falling under the control of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, and French. Most recently a British colony (since 1814), Malta gained its independence in 1964 and declared itself a republic 10 years later. While under British rule, the island staunchly supported the UK through both world wars. Since the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination, as its key industries moved toward more service-oriented activities. Malta became an EU member in 2004 and joined the eurozone in 2008.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 316 sq km
- Water
- 0 sq km
- Total
- 316 sq km
- Climate
- Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers
- Terrain
- mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs
Land Use
- Other
- 66.4% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 1.5% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 25.9% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 22.8% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 3.2% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
- Location
- Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)
- Coastline
- 196.8 km (excludes 56 km for the island of Gozo)
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Mediterranean Sea 0 m
- Highest point
- Ta'Dmejrek on Dingli Cliffs 253 m
- Irrigated land
- 39 sq km (2022)
- Map references
- Europe
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 0 km
Maritime Claims
- Contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Continental shelf
- 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
- Exclusive fishing zone
- 25 nm
- Natural hazards
- occasional droughts
- Geography note
- the country is an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors
- Natural resources
- limestone, salt, arable land
- Area comparative
- slightly less than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
- Geographic coordinates
- 35 50 N, 14 35 E
- Population distribution
- most of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta, the largest of the three inhabited islands
People & Society
- Languages
- Maltese (official) 90.1%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.9% (2005 est.)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic (official) more than 90% (2006 est.)
Sex Ratio
- At birth
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 0 14 years
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15 64 years
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- Total population
- 1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
- 65 years and over
- 0.86 male(s)/female
- Birth rate
- 7.67 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 8.65 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median Age
- Male
- 42.4 years
- Total
- 42.1 years (2025 est.)
- Female
- 44.7 years
Population
- Male
- 271,180
- Total
- 521,828 (2025 est.)
- Female
- 250,648
Nationality
- Noun
- Maltese (singular and plural)
- Adjective
- Maltese
Tobacco Use
- Male
- 23.9% (2025 est.)
- Total
- 22.1% (2025 est.)
- Female
- 20.2% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 94.9% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age Structure
- 0 14 years
- 14.5% (male 35,034/female 33,181)
- 15 64 years
- 62.4% (male 151,836/female 141,248)
- 65 years and over
- 23.1% (2024 est.) (male 50,153/female 58,278)
- Ethnic groups
- Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)
Dependency Ratios
- Total dependency ratio
- 54.1 (2025 est.)
- Youth dependency ratio
- 21.2 (2025 est.)
- Potential support ratio
- 3 (2025 est.)
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 32.9 (2025 est.)
- Physician density
- 7.86 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health Expenditure
- Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
- 10.6% of GDP (2021)
- Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
- 16.2% of national budget (2022 est.)
- Net migration rate
- 7.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Hospital bed density
- 4.4 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
- Total fertility rate
- 1.18 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved: rural
- rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Education Expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP)
- 4.7% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Education expenditure (% national budget)
- 12.5% national budget (2022 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Male
- 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
- Female
- 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births
- Population growth rate
- 0.65% (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 0.57 (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- most of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta, the largest of the three inhabited islands
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Male
- 81.5 years
- Female
- 85.8 years
- Total population
- 83.6 years (2024 est.)
- Maternal mortality ratio
- 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved: rural
- rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita
- Beer
- 2.8 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Wine
- 2.34 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Total
- 8.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Spirits
- 2.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Other alcohols
- 0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Major urban areas population
- 213,000 VALLETTA (capital) (2018)
- Obesity adult prevalence rate
- 28.9% (2016)
- Mother's mean age at first birth
- 29.3 years (2020 est.)
- Currently married women (ages 15 49)
- 52% (2021 est.)
- Children under the age of 5 years underweight
- 0.7% (2022 est.)
School Life Expectancy (Primary to Tertiary Education)
- Male
- 15 years (2023 est.)
- Total
- 16 years (2023 est.)
- Female
- 17 years (2023 est.)
Government
Civica · structure
How power is organised
ExecutiveLegislative
- Flag
- description: two equal vertical bands of white (left side) and red; in the upper-left corner is the George Cross, edged in red
history: according to legend, the colors come from the red-and-white checkered banner of Count Roger of Sicily, who removed a bicolored corner and granted it to Malta in 1091, but the colors more likely come from the Knights of Saint John, who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798; in 1942, Britain's King George VI awarded the George Cross to the islanders for their exceptional bravery and gallantry in World War II, and the George Cross bordered in red was added to the flag after independence in 1964
Capital
- Name
- Valletta
- Etymology
- named in honor of Jean Parizot de la VALETTE, the Grand Master of the Order of Saint John (crusader knights), who founded the city in 1566
- Time difference
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Daylight saving time
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
- Geographic coordinates
- 35 53 N, 14 30 E
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age (16 in local council elections); universal
Citizenship
- Citizenship BY birth
- no
- Citizenship BY descent only
- at least one parent must be a citizen of Malta
- Dual citizenship recognized
- no
- Residency requirement for naturalization
- 5 years
Constitution
- History
- many previous; latest adopted 21 September 1964
- Amendment process
- proposals (Acts of Parliament) require at least two-thirds majority vote by the House of Representatives; passage of Acts requires majority vote by referendum, followed by final majority vote by the House and assent of the president of the republic
Country Name
- Etymology
- the origin is unclear; the name may come from the ancient term mel, meaning "high" and probably referring to the island's rocks; the ancient Greeks called the island "Melite," possibly from the Greek word meli, meaning "honey" and referring to the island's honey production
- Local long form
- Repubblika ta' Malta
- Local short form
- Malta
- Conventional long form
- Republic of Malta
- Conventional short form
- Malta
- Independence
- 21 September 1964 (from the UK)
- Legal system
- mixed system of English common law and civil law based on the Roman and Napoleonic civil codes; subject to European Union law
- Government type
- parliamentary republic
Judicial Branch
- Highest court(s)
- Court of Appeal (consists of either 1 or 3 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 3 judges); Court of Criminal Appeal (consists of either 1 or 3 judges)
- Subordinate courts
- Civil Court (divided into the General Jurisdiction Section, Family Section, and Voluntary Section); Criminal Court; Court of Magistrates; Gozo Courts (for the islands of Gozo and Comino)
- Judge selection and term of office
- Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president, usually on the advice of the prime minister; judges of both courts serve until age 65
Executive Branch
- Cabinet
- Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
- Chief of state
- President Myriam Spiteri DEBONO (since 4 April 2024)
- Election results
2024: Myriam Spiteri DEBONO (PL) elected president; House of Representatives vote - unanimous
2019: George VELLA (PL) elected president; House of Representatives vote - unanimous- Head of government
- Prime Minister Robert ABELA (since 13 January 2020)
- Most recent election date
- 27 March 2024
- Election/appointment process
- president indirectly elected by the House of Representatives for a single 5-year term; following legislative elections, the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister for a 5-year term; deputy prime minister appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
- Expected date of next election
- by March 2029
- National holiday
- Independence Day, 21 September (1964); Republic Day, 13 December (1974)
- National color(s)
- red, white
National Heritage
- Total world heritage sites
- 3 (all cultural)
- Selected world heritage site locales
- City of Valletta; Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum; Megalithic Temples of Malta
- Political parties
- AD+PD or ADPD (formed from the merger of Democratic Alternative or AD and Democratic Party (Partit Demokratiku) or PD)
Labor Party (Partit Laburista) or PL
Nationalist Party (Partit Nazzjonalista) or PN
Legislative Branch
- Term in office
- 5 years
- Number of seats
- 65 (all directly elected)
- Electoral system
- proportional representation
- Legislature name
- House of Representatives (Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati)
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Legislative structure
- unicameral
- Most recent election date
- 3/26/2022
- Expected date of next election
- March 2027
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 29.1%
- Parties elected and seats per party
- Labour Party (LP) (44); Nationalist Party (PN) (35)
National Anthem(s)
- Title
- "L-Innu Malti" (The Hymn of Malta)
- History
- adopted 1945; written in the form of a prayer to bind together the political parties and the country
- Lyrics/music
- Dun Karm PSAILA/Robert SAMMUT
- National symbol(s)
- Maltese eight-pointed cross
- National coat of arms
- Adopted in 1988, Malta’s coat of arms has a shield displaying the national flag, with olive and palm branches on each side symbolizing peace. On top of the shield is a golden crown in the shape of a fortification with five turrets, representing Malta's forts. The white ribbon below the shield displays the name Repubblika ta' Malta (Republic of Malta).
- Administrative divisions
- 68 localities (Il-lokalita); Attard, Balzan, Birgu, Birkirkara, Birzebbuga, Bormla, Dingli, Fgura, Floriana, Fontana, Ghajnsielem, Gharb, Gharghur, Ghasri, Ghaxaq, Gudja, Gzira, Hamrun, Iklin, Imdina, Imgarr, Imqabba, Imsida, Imtarfa, Isla, Kalkara, Kercem, Kirkop, Lija, Luqa, Marsa, Marsaskala, Marsaxlokk, Mellieha, Mosta, Munxar, Nadur, Naxxar, Paola, Pembroke, Pieta, Qala, Qormi, Qrendi, Rabat, Rabat (Ghawdex), Safi, San Giljan/Saint Julian, San Gwann/Saint John, San Lawrenz/Saint Lawrence, Sannat, San Pawl il-Bahar/Saint Paul's Bay, Santa Lucija/Saint Lucia, Santa Venera/Saint Venera, Siggiewi, Sliema, Swieqi, Tarxien, Ta' Xbiex, Valletta, Xaghra, Xewkija, Xghajra, Zabbar, Zebbug, Zebbug (Ghawdex), Zejtun, Zurrieq
Diplomatic Representation in the US
- Fax
- [1] (202) 530-9753
- Chancery
- 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- Telephone
- [1] (771) 213-4050
- Chief of mission
- Ambassador Godfrey C. XUEREB (since 19 April 2023)
- Email address and website
maltaembassy.washington@gov.mt
The Embassy (gov.mt)
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Embassy
- Ta' Qali National Park, Attard, ATD 4000
- Telephone
- [356] 2561-4000
- Mailing address
- 5800 Valletta Place, Washington DC 20521-5800
- Chief of mission
- Ambassador Somers FARKAS (since 26 November 2025)
- Email address and website
ACSMalta@state.gov
https://mt.usembassy.gov/
- International organisations
- Australia Group, C, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO (partner), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- International law organization participation
- accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Legislature
MALTA · LEGISLATURE
House of Representatives
65 seats · hover a seat for the party
Total seats
65
Majority line
34
Largest party
Labour Party (LP)
Parties
2
All political parties
Leaders
Current
Myriam Spiteri Debono
- Head of State
Robert Abela
- Head of Government
Economy
Budget
- Note
- note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
- Revenues
- $6.95 billion (2023 est.)
- Expenditures
- $7.966 billion (2023 est.)
Exports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $29.6B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
- Exports 2022
- $23.566 billion (2022 est.)
- Exports 2023
- $26.647 billion (2023 est.)
- Exports 2024
- $29.245 billion (2024 est.)
Imports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $24.9B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
- Imports 2022
- $21.406 billion (2022 est.)
- Imports 2023
- $22.637 billion (2023 est.)
- Imports 2024
- $24.505 billion (2024 est.)
- Industries
- tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco, aviation services, financial services, information technology services
- Labor force
- 318,200 (2024 est.)
Public Debt
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 46.4%
- Note
- note: Malta reports public debt at nominal value outstanding at the end of the year, according to guidelines set out in the Maastricht Treaty for general government gross debt; the data include the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); general government comprises the central, state, and local governments, and social security funds
- Public debt 2017
- 50.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
Remittances
- Note
- note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
- Remittances 2022
- 0.1% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 0.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Remittances 2024
- 0.1% of GDP (2024 est.)
Exchange Rates
- Currency
- euros (EUR) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2020
- 0.876 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 0.845 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 0.95 (2022 est.)
- Exchange rates 2023
- 0.925 (2023 est.)
- Exchange rates 2024
- 0.924 (2024 est.)
- Economic overview
- high-income, EU-member European economy; diversified portfolio; euro user; dependent on food and energy imports; strong tourism, trade, and manufacturing sectors; high North African immigration; large welfare system; educated workforce
Unemployment Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 2.9%
- Note
- note: % of labor force seeking employment
- Unemployment rate 2022
- 3% (2022 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2023
- 3.2% (2023 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2024
- 2.8% (2024 est.)
- Exports partners
- Nigeria 28%, Germany 10%, China 6%, Singapore 5%, Hong Kong 4% (2023)
- Imports partners
- Italy 18%, China 10%, Germany 8%, France 7%, Turkey 7% (2023)
Real GDP Per Capita
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $69,864
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $57,800 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $59,300 (2023 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2024
- $60,500 (2024 est.)
Real GDP Growth Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 4.0%
- Note
- note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- 4.3% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- 6.8% (2023 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2024
- 6% (2024 est.)
- Agricultural products
- milk, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, chicken, cauliflower/broccoli, cabbages, pork, pumpkins/squash, watermelons (2023)
- Exports commodities
- refined petroleum, integrated circuits, packaged medicine, ships, postage stamps/documents (2023)
- Imports commodities
- ships, refined petroleum, integrated circuits, aircraft, packaged medicine (2023)
Current Account Balance
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $1.8B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
- Current account balance 2022
- -$167.611 million (2022 est.)
- Current account balance 2023
- $1.425 billion (2023 est.)
- Current account balance 2024
- $1.383 billion (2024 est.)
- Taxes and other revenues
- 21.9% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
- GDP (official exchange rate)
- $24.322 billion (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY End Use
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
- Household consumption
- 46.6% (2024 est.)
- Government consumption
- 17.2% (2024 est.)
- Investment in inventories
- 0.9% (2024 est.)
- Investment in fixed capital
- 17.9% (2024 est.)
- Exports of goods and services
- 123.5% (2024 est.)
- Imports of goods and services
- -106.1% (2024 est.)
- Population below poverty line
- 16.7% (2021 est.)
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 2.4%
- Note
- note: annual % change based on consumer prices
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
- 6.2% (2022 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
- 5.1% (2023 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
- 1.7% (2024 est.)
- Industrial production growth rate
- 5.6% (2024 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $34.731 billion (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $30.689 billion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $32.774 billion (2023 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
- $34.731 billion (2024 est.)
Youth Unemployment Rate (Ages 15 24)
- Male
- 9.6% (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
- Total
- 7.8% (2024 est.)
- Female
- 5.7% (2024 est.)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
- Note
- note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022
- $1.199 billion (2022 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
- $1.223 billion (2023 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024
- $1.418 billion (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
- Industry
- 11.4% (2024 est.)
- Services
- 80.8% (2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 0.2% (2024 est.)
Household Income or Consumption BY Percentage Share
- Note
- note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
- Lowest 10%
- 2.7% (2022 est.)
- Highest 10%
- 27.7% (2022 est.)
Gini Index Coefficient Distribution of Family Income
- Note
- note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
- Gini index coefficient distribution of family income 2022
- 34.6 (2022 est.)
Energy
Coal
- Imports
- 3.9 metric tons (2022 est.)
- Consumption
- 8.4 metric tons (2021 est.)
Petroleum
- Refined petroleum consumption
- 50,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Electricity
- Exports
- 28 million kWh (2023 est.)
- Imports
- 648 million kWh (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 2.766 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Installed generating capacity
- 829,000 kW (2023 est.)
- Transmission/distribution losses
- 199.086 million kWh (2023 est.)
Natural Gas
- Imports
- 444.715 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 444.715 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Electricity Access
- Electrification total population
- 100% (2022 est.)
Energy Consumption Per Capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023
- 234.698 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Electricity Generation Sources
- Solar
- 13.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Fossil fuels
- 86.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Biomass and waste
- 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Communications
Internet Users
- Percent of population
- 92% (2023 est.)
- Broadcast media
- 2 publicly owned TV stations, Television Malta and an educational channel; several privately owned national television stations, 2 of which are owned by political parties; Italian and British broadcast programs are available; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; publicly owned radio broadcaster operates 3 stations; roughly 20 commercial radio stations (2019)
- Internet country code
- .mt
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Total subscriptions
- 259,000 (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 49 (2023 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Total subscriptions
- 767,000 (2024 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 142 (2024 est.)
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Total
- 236,000 (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 44 (2023 est.)
Transport
Ports
- Large
- 0
- Small
- 1
- Medium
- 1
- Key ports
- Marsaxlokk, Valletta Harbors
- Very small
- 0
- Total ports
- 2 (2024)
- Ports with oil terminals
- 0
- Airports
- 1 (2025)
- Heliports
- 2 (2025)
Merchant Marine
- Total
- 1,957 (2023)
- BY type
- bulk carrier 490, container ship 348, general cargo 152, oil tanker 354, other 613
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- 9H
Environment
- Climate
- Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers
Land Use
- Other
- 66.4% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 1.5% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 25.9% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 22.8% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 3.2% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 94.9% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and Recycling
- Municipal solid waste generated annually
- 348,800 tons (2024 est.)
- Percent of municipal solid waste recycled
- 10.5% (2022 est.)
- Environmental issues
- limited natural freshwater resources; deforestation; wildlife preservation
Total Water Withdrawal
- Municipal
- 39.497 million cubic meters (2022)
- Industrial
- 1 million cubic meters (2022)
- Agricultural
- 21.358 million cubic meters (2022)
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
- Total emissions
- 8.965 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From consumed natural gas
- 852,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From petroleum and other liquids
- 8.113 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- Particulate matter emissions
- 13.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- Total renewable water resources
- 50.5 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
International Environmental Agreements
- Party to
- Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
- Signed, but not ratified
- none of the selected agreements
Military & Security
- Military note
- the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) are responsible for external security but also have some domestic security responsibilities; the AFM’s primary roles include maintaining the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, monitoring and policing its territorial waters, participating in overseas peacekeeping and stability operations, and providing search and rescue and explosive ordnance disposal capabilities; secondary missions include assisting civil authorities during emergencies, supporting the police and other security services, and providing ceremonial and other public support duties
Malta maintains a security policy of neutrality but contributes to EU, Organization for the Security and Cooperation (OSCE), and UN military missions and joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1995 (suspended in 1996, but reactivated in 2008); it also participates in various bilateral and multinational military exercises; Malta cooperates closely with Italy on defense matters; in 1973, Italy established a military mission in Malta to provide advice, training, and search and rescue assistance (2025)
Military Expenditures
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 0.5%
- Military expenditures 2020
- 0.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
- Military expenditures 2021
- 0.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Military expenditures 2022
- 0.7% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Military expenditures 2023
- 0.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Military expenditures 2024
- 0.5% of GDP (2024 est.)
- Military and security forces
- the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM): Land Component (combat, combat support, and combat service support divided into three regiments), Maritime Squadron, Air Wing; Volunteer Reserve Force (2025)
- Military service age and obligation
- 18-30 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription (2026)
- Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the military has a small inventory of armaments from a mix of European countries, particularly Italy, and the US (2025)
- Military and security service personnel strengths
- approximately 2,000 active Armed Forces of Malta (2025)
Transnational Issues
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- Refugees
- 9,284 (2024 est.)
- Stateless persons
- 171 (2024 est.)
Scores & Rankings
ScoreValueGlobal rankTrendAs of
Civica Index64.0 / 100as of 2024-Q457 / 1902024-Q4
V-Dem Liberal Democracy0.64as of 2024-Q439 / 1702024-Q4
Freedom House StatusPartly Free (83/100)as of 2024-Q4—2024-Q4
Press Freedom (RSF)Partly free (50/100)as of 2024—2024
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Malta — vintage 2026-Q1: Malta factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/malta
Sources: Eurostat, FAO FAOSTAT, ILO ILOSTAT, IMF (WEO), OECD.Stat, UN Statistics Division, UNDP HDR, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, V-Dem, WHO Global Health Observatory, World Bank, WTO Stats, CIA World Factbook, Wikidata