Malta — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Malta: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Malta is in Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy). It covers 316 sq km. Terrain: mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs. Climate: Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers.
| Capital | Valletta |
|---|---|
| Population | 521,828 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $34.731 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $60,500 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 6% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1.7% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 2.8% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 50.7% of GDP (2017 est.) |
| Exports | $29.245 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $24.505 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 83.6 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 42.1 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 94.9% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary republic |
| Independence | 21 September 1964 (from the UK) |
| Languages | Maltese (official) 90.1%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.9% (2005 est.) |
Malta’s GDP is $34.731 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $24.322 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 6% (2024 est.). See where Malta ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A quiet quarter: no major shocks, no breakthroughs. The country's trajectory is set by structural forces larger than any single season.
The honest reading is steadiness — neither crisis nor windfall — with the long currents of demography, trade and institutions deciding more than any three months.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 1.7%; a current-account surplus of $1 billion — the world pays it more than it pays out
- What drags it down: only 17% of electricity from low-carbon sources; fertility of 1.2 children per woman — below replacement, the cradle is emptying
Salt.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 86.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 13.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 234.698 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 2.2 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Gas 82.8%, Solar 16.3%, Oil 0.5% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 16.7% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 484.2 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $29.245 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $24.505 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $4.7 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco, aviation services, financial services, information technology services |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Robert Abela — Prime Minister. President Myriam Spiteri DEBONO (since 4 April 2024)
Malta maintains 28 embassies and 4 consulates abroad, hosts 24 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 28 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 4 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 24 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg |
Source: Abroad: Consular Affairs Center, of-country ranking, Jan 2026 (28/4), Zenodo https://zenodo.org/records/18109976/ . Hosted: Malta Customs Department official diplomatic-entities list (24 diplomatic missions), counted from https://mtca.gov.mt/docs/default-source/documents/customs/customs-assigned-vat-nos.pdf?sfvrsn=eac08c45_1 . Multilateral rosters as for AUT.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 196.8 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 1 + 2 heliports (registration prefix 9H) |
| Major seaports | Marsaxlokk, Valletta Harbors |
Major airports
Malta International Airport (MLA) — Valletta.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28)
| Political system | parliamentary republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Malta.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Malta — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Malta's power score?
Malta has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.