Which has higher expenditure on tertiary education, Malta or Small states?

Malta, at 25.3% against 13.3% in Small states as of 2015.

How many years of comparable data are there for Malta and Small states?

15 years are reported by both, from 1982 to 2014.

Where does this data come from?

Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Malta vs Small states: Expenditure on tertiary education

Malta

25.3%

in 2015

Small states

13.3%

in 2014

Malta rank

39th

Small states rank

36th

Expenditure on tertiary education over time

Malta
Small states

How they compare

Malta currently reports 25.3% against 13.3% in Small states, a difference of 12.0%.

That makes Malta's figure about 1.9 times Small states's.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1982 it was Small states ahead.

Malta ranks 39th and Small states ranks 36th of 160 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Malta averaged higher in 2 and Small states in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Malta	Small states	Difference	Ahead
1980s	9.9%	12.4%	2.5%	Small states
1990s	18.5%	9.5%	9.1%	Malta
2000s	17.8%	20.5%	2.7%	Small states
2010s	19.5%	15.8%	3.7%	Malta

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher expenditure on tertiary education, Malta or Small states?: Malta, at 25.3% against 13.3% in Small states as of 2015.
What is the difference in expenditure on tertiary education between Malta and Small states?: 12.0%, with Malta ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malta and Small states?: 15 years are reported by both, from 1982 to 2014.
How do Malta and Small states rank globally for expenditure on tertiary education?: Malta ranks 39th and Small states ranks 36th of 160 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malta vs Small states: Expenditure on tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/expenditure-on-tertiary-education-percent-of-government-expenditure-on-education/malta/small-states/

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<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/expenditure-on-tertiary-education-percent-of-government-expenditure-on-education/malta/small-states/">Malta vs Small states: Expenditure on tertiary education</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education)
Unit: % of government expenditure on education
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 197 places, 3,723 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed: 03 September 2026

Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.