Ireland vs Malta: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government
Ireland
12.3%
in 2021
Malta
12.5%
in 2022
Ireland rank
105th
Malta rank
102nd
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government over time
- Ireland
- Malta
How they compare
Malta currently reports 12.5% against 12.3% in Ireland, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Ireland ahead.
Ireland ranks 105th and Malta ranks 102nd of 197 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 3 and Malta in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | Malta | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.5% | 0.0% | 11.5% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 11.9% | 0.0% | 11.9% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 13.1% | 12.0% | 1.2% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 12.7% | 15.4% | 2.7% | Malta |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 12.5% | 0.2% | Malta |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher expenditure on education as a percentage of total government, Ireland or Malta?
- Malta, at 12.5% against 12.3% in Ireland as of 2022.
- What is the difference in expenditure on education as a percentage of total government between Ireland and Malta?
- 0.2%, with Malta ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Malta?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2021.
- How do Ireland and Malta rank globally for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Ireland ranks 105th and Malta ranks 102nd of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release