Military spending as a share of GDP in Malta
Malta: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.4%
Change on year
up 20.0%
World rank
156th
of 166 countries
All-time high
1.5%
in 1987
All-time low
0.4%
in 2024
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Malta, 1985–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military spending as a share of gdp in Malta stood at 0.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.0% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Malta peaked at 1.5% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2024.
Malta ranks 156th of 166 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Malta, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.3% | — |
| 1986 | 1.3% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 1.5% | +14.7% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | -16.2% |
| 1989 | 1.1% | -9.2% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | -17.4% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | +11.7% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -18.0% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -11.8% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -7.7% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | +23.9% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | -20.3% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +10.3% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -11.5% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -9.1% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | +8.7% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | +18.6% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -15.4% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -10.2% |
| 2024 | 0.4% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 0.4% | +20.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 5 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 153 Guatemala 0.5% compare
- 154 Ethiopia 0.5% compare
- 155 Ghana 0.5% compare
- 157 Kazakhstan 0.4% compare
- 158 Sierra Leone 0.4% compare
- 159 Papua New Guinea 0.4% compare
More economy & growth data for Malta
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.35 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.51 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 1,974 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 5.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.1008 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 4,828 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 0.0892 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 4,273 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.5072 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Malta?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Malta was 0.4% in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 1.5% in 1987.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2024.
- How does Malta rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Malta ranks 156th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.