Country profile · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

🇲🇹 Malta

High income. Capital Valletta. Full World Bank, WHO, ILO & OECD indicator profile across 41 measures, with regional peers and rankings.

568.8K
Population
$25 billion
GDP
$44,024
GDP / capita
83.0 years
Life expectancy

The verdict

Malta ranks 119th of 217 by total GDP and 25th for life expectancy - a high income economy in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan.

#119
World GDP rank (of 217)
$44,024
GDP per capita
#25
Life-expectancy rank
#170
Population rank

Ranks are computed across the 217 countries with data for each indicator; see the full tables and sources below.

Malta on the global income map

Malta (MLT) plotted alongside its largest economic peers on GDP per capita and the Human Development Index. Bubble area scales with population; color encodes income tier; gold rings mark OECD members.

Malta on the global income map Malta positioned on the GDP-per-capita / HDI plane against its largest economic peers. 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 $200 $1K $10K $100K GDP per capita (USD, log scale) Human Development Index (0–1) India - GDP/cap $2,695 · lower-middle income IND China - GDP/cap $13,303 · upper-middle income CHN United States - GDP/cap $84,534 · high income · OECD USA Indonesia - GDP/cap $4,925 · upper-middle income IDN Pakistan - GDP/cap $1,479 · lower-middle income Nigeria - GDP/cap $1,084 · low income Brazil - GDP/cap $10,311 · upper-middle income Bangladesh - GDP/cap $2,593 · lower-middle income Russian Federation - GDP/cap $14,889 · high income Ethiopia - GDP/cap $1,134 · low income Mexico - GDP/cap $14,186 · high income · OECD Japan - GDP/cap $32,487 · high income · OECD Egypt, Arab Rep. - GDP/cap $3,338 · lower-middle income Philippines - GDP/cap $3,985 · lower-middle income Congo, Dem. Rep. - GDP/cap $693 · low income Viet Nam - GDP/cap $4,717 · upper-middle income Iran, Islamic Rep. - GDP/cap $5,190 · upper-middle income Turkiye - GDP/cap $15,893 · high income · OECD Germany - GDP/cap $56,104 · high income · OECD Thailand - GDP/cap $7,387 · upper-middle income United Kingdom - GDP/cap $53,246 · high income · OECD Tanzania - GDP/cap $1,193 · lower-middle income France - GDP/cap $46,103 · high income · OECD South Africa - GDP/cap $6,267 · upper-middle income Italy - GDP/cap $40,385 · high income · OECD Kenya - GDP/cap $2,133 · lower-middle income Myanmar - GDP/cap $1,359 · lower-middle income Colombia - GDP/cap $7,951 · upper-middle income · OECD Korea, Rep. - GDP/cap $36,239 · high income · OECD Sudan - GDP/cap $985 · low income Malta - GDP/cap $44,024 · high income Income tier Low Lower-middle Upper-middle High OECD member

Indicators tracked

41

Across 8 topic areas

GDP per capita

$44,024

Latest WB report

Population

568.8K

UN estimate

OECD member

No

Outside OECD harmonized stats

Population
568.8K
GDP
$25 billion
GDP per Capita
$44,024
Life Expectancy
83.0 years

Overview

Malta has a population of 568.8K, making it the 170th-most populous country out of 217 tracked in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan.

Its economy totals $25 billion - ranked 119th globally by total GDP. GDP per capita stands at $44,024, placing it in the High income category.

Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years (ranked 25th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.

The capital is Valletta.

👥 Demographics

Population
568.8K
2024
Population Ages 0-14
13.0%
2024
Population Ages 65+
20.2%
2024
Population Density
1727.3/km²
2023
Urban Population
95.7%
2024

💰 Economy

Foreign Direct Investment
$42.6 billion
2024
GDP (Current USD)
$25 billion
2024
GDP Growth Rate
6.2%
2024
GDP Per Capita (Current USD)
$44,023.634
2024
Inflation (Consumer Prices)
1.7%
2024
Trade (% of GDP)
217.7%
2024
Unemployment Rate
3.1%
2024

🏥 Health

Health Expenditure (% of GDP)
8.8%
2023
Infant Mortality Rate
4.7 per 1,000
2024
Life Expectancy at Birth
83.0 years
2024
Maternal Mortality Ratio
8
2023
Physicians (per 1,000 people)
4.5 per 1,000
2022
Stunting Prevalence (under 5)
3.3
2022
Under-5 Mortality Rate
5.3 per 1,000
2024

📚 Education

Education Expenditure (% of GDP)
4.7%
2022
Literacy Rate (Adult)
93.3
2011
School Enrollment (Primary)
97.7
2023
School Enrollment (Secondary)
103.0
2023
School Enrollment (Tertiary)
80.5
2023
Youth Literacy Rate
98.9
2011

🌍 Environment

CO2 Emissions Per Capita
3.2
2024
Electric Power Consumption
5,013 kWh
2023
Forest Area
1.4
2023
Freshwater Withdrawal
72.6
2022
Renewable Energy Consumption
8.6%
2021

🏗️ Infrastructure

Access to Clean Water
99.8%
2024
Access to Electricity
100.0%
2023
Access to Sanitation
100.0%
2024
Internet Users
93.9%
2024
Mobile Subscriptions
142.1
2024

⚖️ Social

Female Labor Participation
55.9
2024
GINI Index
31.8
2023
Intentional Homicides
0.6
2023
Male Labor Participation
71.8
2024
Net Migration
6.3K
2024
Poverty (< $2.15/day)
0.4%
2023

🫀 Disease Burden

Key causes of death and disease risk in Malta. Source: WHO Global Health Observatory.

NCD Death Rate
300
per 100K · 2021
Premature NCD Risk
9.8%
dying 30–70 from NCD
Road Traffic Deaths
1.9
per 100K
Suicide Rate
40.9
per 100K
Maternal Mortality
8
per 100K births

Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: 2021. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.

Compare Malta with Another Country

What the data says about Malta

Malta sits in the high-income bracket but outside the OECD's harmonized reporting network, so its statistics come straight from the World Bank, WHO, and ILO source series rather than a jointly reconciled OECD dataset - still official, but with less cross-checking between agencies than an OECD member gets. Because output and income figures are converted at market exchange rates into current dollars, they can swing with currency movements independent of any real change in living standards, and for a small economy like this one that swing shows up more visibly in the headline numbers than it would for a larger country. The fuller picture comes from comparing Malta against income-tier peers of a similar size.

Malta sits in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan with a population of 568.8K, placing it 170th out of 217 countries by headcount. Its capital, Valletta, anchors a High income economy with total GDP of $25 billion - ranked 119th globally, and GDP per capita of $44,024. This combination of demographic scale and economic output shapes everything from household purchasing power and domestic market depth to the country's weight in regional trade flows and international development programmes.

Life expectancy at birth in Malta is 83.0 years, ranking 25th worldwide and offering a summary read on healthcare access, nutrition, sanitation, and long-run living standards. The World Bank's World Development Indicators, combined with the WHO Global Health Observatory and ILO ILOSTAT wage statistics, expose 41 data points across 7 thematic areas, from fertility and urbanisation to CO₂ emissions, school enrolment, and labour-force participation. Reading these indicators together, rather than in isolation, is what turns headline numbers into a grounded portrait of how people actually live.

Use the indicator tables below to track trajectories over time, jump to Malta's placement on specific rankings such as GDP, population density, or life expectancy, and open the side-by-side Compare view to benchmark against peers inside Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan or across income groups. Because all figures come from official, CC BY 4.0-licensed datasets with clear vintages, you can cite them directly in research or journalism. Where a field reads "N/A", the upstream agency has not yet released that value for Malta - we never fabricate estimates or carry forward stale values, so missing points stay visible rather than quietly filled in.

Using the Malta profile

A single rank only means something in context, read Malta's numbers against its peers and over time.

  • Put Malta side-by-side with another country to see exactly where the gaps are. Compare countries
  • See the full GDP table to find every country above and below Malta's #119 position. GDP rankings
  • Browse Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan to benchmark Malta against its regional peers. Regional peers

Figures come from official World Bank, WHO, ILO and OECD releases; observation years differ by indicator (shown in the “Year” column) and unavailable values appear as “N/A” rather than estimates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the data for Malta come from?

Data for Malta is sourced from the World Bank Open Data catalog, WHO Global Health Observatory, and ILO ILOSTAT (for average wages and working hours). These are official, publicly available datasets.

How current is the data for Malta?

It varies by indicator - most points are 2020-2024. See our methodology page for the update cadence per source.

Can I compare Malta with other countries?

Yes - use the compare tool above, or the rankings catalog to see where Malta stands on any single indicator.

What does GDP per capita tell us about Malta?

Malta's total output divided by its population, in current US dollars - an approximate read on average economic productivity per person. See our methodology page for the PPP-adjustment caveats.

How does Malta's life expectancy compare to the global average?

83.0 years, ranking 25th of 217 countries tracked - against a global average near 73 years.

Does PlainCountries cover visa or travel information for Malta?

No - PlainCountries is development and health data only. PlainVisa (plainvisa.com) covers immigration policy; PlainFlights (plainflights.com) covers flight routes.

Source: World Bank Open Data, Source: WHO Global Health Observatory, Source: ILO ILOSTAT. World Bank and ILO data licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, financial, or policy advice. Data is sourced from the World Bank, WHO, ILO, and OECD. See our full disclaimer and editorial policy.