Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Malta
Malta: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 4.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Malta, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Malta recorded 4.7% for government spending on education as a share of gdp in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 24.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Malta peaked at 7.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 1982.
That places Malta 73rd out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Malta, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6.2% | — |
| 1972 | 5.5% | -9.8% |
| 1973 | 5.3% | -5.1% |
| 1974 | 4.5% | -14.7% |
| 1975 | 4.4% | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 3.8% | -13.3% |
| 1977 | 3.9% | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 3.3% | -14.1% |
| 1979 | 3.2% | -5.8% |
| 1981 | 2.9% | -9.1% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | +16.1% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | -7.1% |
| 1985 | 3.2% | +5.5% |
| 1986 | 3.1% | -4.4% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 3.3% | +5.5% |
| 1989 | 3.6% | +7.5% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | +6.8% |
| 1991 | 3.9% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 4.3% | +10.0% |
| 1998 | 4.2% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 4.2% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 4.4% | +6.6% |
| 2007 | 6.0% | +34.5% |
| 2008 | 5.5% | -8.1% |
| 2009 | 5.0% | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 6.2% | +23.0% |
| 2011 | 7.6% | +22.1% |
| 2012 | 6.2% | -17.5% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | +18.5% |
| 2014 | 6.8% | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | -28.3% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | -12.4% |
| 2019 | 4.8% | +10.5% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | -4.4% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 4.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.1× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Malta's 4.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.4%, 1.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.5% | 3.2% | 6.2% | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.2% | 6.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 5.9% | 4.3% | 7.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More education data for Malta
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4,664 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 70 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4,949 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4,626 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 32,424 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 27,337 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0495 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Malta?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Malta was 4.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 1982.
- How does Malta rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Malta ranks 73rd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.