Malta
Government finance and cost-of-living data from Eurostat — spending, debt, tax, and comparative prices.
Headline stats
Debt peaked at 71.2% GDP in 2004 — now 46.4%.
Government debt
46.4% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 81.7% GDP (2025)
Govt expenditure
37.3% GDP
2024
Budget deficit
2.2% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 3.1% GDP (2025)
Tax revenue
9.2% GDP
2024
Public sector jobs
70k
2025
Tax rates
What Malta takes — statutory rates and effective burden on workers.
Labour tax wedge
23.1% of labour cost
2025
Top income tax rate
35%
2024
Corporate tax rate
35%
2024
Standard VAT rate
18%
2024
Labour tax wedge: effective % of gross labour cost (salary + employer contributions) going to income tax and social contributions for a single person at average wage. Source: Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate. Statutory rates: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 / EC Taxation Trends 2024.
Comparative prices
Malta is 9.0% cheaper than the EU average overall (2024). Index: EU27 = 100.
| Category | Price index | vs EU avg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level | 91.0 | -9.0% |
| Food & non-alcoholic drinks | 112.2 | +12.2% |
| Housing, utilities & energy | 80.1 | -19.9% |
| Restaurants & hotels | 88.7 | -11.3% |
| Transport | 82.6 | -17.4% |
| Health | 92.8 | -7.2% |
| Education | 130.2 | +30.2% |
| Clothing & footwear | 101.5 | +1.5% |
| Recreation & culture | 94.5 | -5.5% |
| Alcohol & tobacco | 99.2 | -0.8% |
| Household furnishings | 105.3 | +5.3% |
| Communication | 106.7 | +6.7% |
| Miscellaneous | 89.1 | -10.9% |
Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind. EU27_2020 = 100. Green = cheaper than EU average.
Government debt since 2011
| Year | Debt (% GDP) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 68.9 | — |
| 2012 | 65.6 | -3.3 |
| 2013 | 64.9 | -0.7 |
| 2014 | 60.7 | -4.2 |
| 2015 | 55 | -5.7 |
| 2016 | 53.1 | -1.9 |
| 2017 | 45.6 | -7.5 |
| 2018 | 41.4 | -4.2 |
| 2019 | 39.2 | -2.2 |
| 2020 | 48.8 | +9.6 |
| 2021 | 49.7 | +0.9 |
| 2022 | 50.3 | +0.6 |
| 2023 | 46.9 | -3.4 |
| 2024 | 45.9 | -1 |
| 2025 | 46.4 | +0.5 |
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Data sources
| Dataset | Source | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Govt expenditure / debt / deficit | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | 1995–2025 |
| Tax revenue | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 1995–2025 |
| Public employment (NACE O-Q) | Eurostat nama_10_a64_e | 1995–2024 |
| Tax breakdown (VAT, income, social) | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 2000–2023 |
| Labour tax wedge | Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate | 2000–2023 |
| Statutory tax rates (income, corporate, VAT) | OECD / EC Taxation Trends 2024 | 2024 |
| Comparative price levels (13 categories) | Eurostat prc_ppp_ind | 1995–2024 |