Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Malta
Malta: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Malta, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malta recorded 1.2% for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in 2022.
That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Malta peaked at 1.4% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1986.
That places Malta 38th out of 173 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Malta, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.9% | — |
| 1972 | 0.9% | +10.3% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | -12.7% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | -21.9% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | -5.0% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | -16.4% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -10.3% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 0.3% | -27.0% |
| 1981 | 0.3% | -17.1% |
| 1982 | 0.3% | +4.6% |
| 1983 | 0.3% | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 0.3% | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 0.3% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 0.2% | -13.3% |
| 1987 | 0.3% | +19.5% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +19.0% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | +45.8% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | +43.4% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | +21.7% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -6.5% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +12.0% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -43.0% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +84.5% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +7.5% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +13.9% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | +28.4% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -25.6% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | +31.5% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +7.3% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -15.3% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +13.5% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 35 Kuwait 1.2% compare
- 36 Macau, China 1.2% compare
- 37 France 1.2% compare
- 39 Costa Rica 1.2% compare
- 40 New Zealand 1.2% compare
- 41 South Africa 1.2% compare
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 expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Malta?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Malta was 1.2% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2013.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1986.
- How does Malta rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Malta ranks 38th out of 173 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. 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, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release