Malta — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Malta, 1971–2022.
Education spending for Malta was 4.71% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 38 years, from 1971 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 7.58% in 2011. The lowest was 2.85% in 1982 (about 1.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.52% per year.
Malta ranks 65 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 38%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 4.38%, so Malta sits above it. It peaked in 2011 and has fallen 38% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved down 25%. Within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan it ranks 7 of 17 economies; Saudi Arabia (4.48%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 35% in 2007. That is 14% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 5th of 53 in 1971 → 22nd of 50 in 1990 → 19th of 130 in 2010 → 55th of 150 in 2022.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2022
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.71% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 4.93% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 4.8% | +0.5 pp |
| 2017 | 4.34% | -0.6 pp |
| 2016 | 4.96% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 4.91% | -1.9 pp |
| 2014 | 6.85% | -0.6 pp |
| 2013 | 7.41% | +1.2 pp |
| 2012 | 6.25% | -1.3 pp |
| 2011 | 7.58% | +1.4 pp |
| 2010 | 6.21% | +1.2 pp |
| 2009 | 5.05% | -0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 5.47% | -0.5 pp |
| 2007 | 5.96% | +1.5 pp |
| 2004 | 4.43% | +0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 4.16% | -0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 4.19% | -0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 4.31% | +0.4 pp |
| 1991 | 3.92% | +0.1 pp |
| 1990 | 3.83% | +0.2 pp |
| 1989 | 3.59% | +0.3 pp |
| 1988 | 3.34% | +0.2 pp |
| 1987 | 3.17% | +0.1 pp |
| 1986 | 3.11% | -0.1 pp |
| 1985 | 3.25% | +0.2 pp |
| 1984 | 3.08% | -0.2 pp |
| 1983 | 3.31% | +0.5 pp |
| 1982 | 2.85% | -0.0 pp |
| 1981 | 2.87% | -0.3 pp |
| 1979 | 3.15% | -0.2 pp |
| 1978 | 3.35% | -0.5 pp |
| 1977 | 3.9% | +0.1 pp |
| 1976 | 3.83% | -0.6 pp |
| 1975 | 4.42% | -0.1 pp |
| 1974 | 4.49% | -0.8 pp |
| 1973 | 5.27% | -0.3 pp |
| 1972 | 5.55% | -0.6 pp |
| 1971 | 6.15% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Malta’s Education spending in 1972?
5.55% (1972). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Malta’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2022 the series was shrinking overall: -23.4% in total — about 0.5% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2022: 4.71%; 2021: 4.93%; 2019: 4.8%; 2017: 4.34%; 2016: 4.96%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.