Expense in Malta

Malta: Expense was 33.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
33.7%
Change on year
down 7.7%
World rank
44th
of 157 countries
All-time high
42.3%
in 2003
All-time low
24.7%
in 1980
Years of data
51
1972–2023

Expense in Malta, 1972–2023

010203040197219972023

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for expense in Malta is 33.7%, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expense in Malta peaked at 42.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 24.7%, in 1980.

That places Malta 44th out of 157 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

Expense in Malta, year by year

Annual values for Expense (% of GDP) in Malta, 1972 to 2023.
Year % of GDP Change
1972 33.7%
1973 32.1% -4.6%
1974 38.9% +21.1%
1975 35.0% -10.0%
1976 31.4% -10.2%
1977 30.9% -1.9%
1978 28.6% -7.2%
1980 24.7% -13.8%
1981 28.0% +13.5%
1982 30.1% +7.4%
1983 29.6% -1.5%
1984 29.7% +0.4%
1985 29.1% -2.2%
1986 28.1% -3.2%
1987 28.2% +0.2%
1988 27.7% -1.8%
1989 27.5% -0.7%
1990 27.7% +0.9%
1991 28.4% +2.7%
1992 29.0% +2.0%
1993 30.0% +3.5%
1994 30.3% +0.8%
1995 37.5% +23.7%
1996 39.3% +4.8%
1997 39.0% -0.6%
1998 38.1% -2.3%
1999 38.3% +0.4%
2000 37.8% -1.2%
2001 39.7% +5.0%
2002 39.1% -1.6%
2003 42.3% +8.3%
2004 40.4% -4.5%
2005 40.2% -0.7%
2006 40.3% +0.3%
2007 39.7% -1.5%
2008 41.7% +5.0%
2009 41.0% -1.8%
2010 39.7% -3.2%
2011 40.4% +2.0%
2012 39.9% -1.4%
2013 38.9% -2.5%
2014 37.7% -2.9%
2015 35.4% -6.3%
2016 34.5% -2.5%
2017 31.8% -7.7%
2018 32.6% +2.4%
2019 32.7% +0.3%
2020 39.9% +21.9%
2021 37.2% -6.7%
2022 36.5% -1.9%
2023 33.7% -7.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 32.9% 28.6% 38.9% 7
1980s 28.3% 24.7% 30.1% 10
1990s 33.8% 27.7% 39.3% 10
2000s 40.2% 37.8% 42.3% 10
2010s 36.4% 31.8% 40.4% 10
2020s 36.8% 33.7% 39.9% 4

Countries ranked near Malta

  1. 41 Spain 34.0% compare
  2. 42 Lithuania 33.9% compare
  3. 43 Tunisia 33.8% compare
  4. 45 South Africa 33.4% compare
  5. 46 North Macedonia 33.4% compare
  6. 47 Denmark 33.3% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More economy & growth data for Malta

All data for Malta →

Frequently asked questions

What is expense in Malta?
Expense in Malta was 33.7% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest expense recorded in Malta?
The highest recorded value was 42.3% in 2003.
What is the lowest expense recorded in Malta?
The lowest recorded value was 24.7% in 1980.
How does Malta rank for expense?
Malta ranks 44th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
Is expense rising or falling in Malta?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malta data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Expense (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Expense in Malta. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/expense-percent-of-gdp/malta/

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About this data

Indicator
Expense (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
183 places, 5,211 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.