Map of Malta | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: With a civilization that dates back thousands of years Malta boasts some of the oldest megalithic sites in the world. Situated in the center of the Mediterranean Malta’s islands have long served as a strategic military asset with the islands at various times having come under control of the Phoenicians Carthaginians Greeks Romans


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Location: Southern Europe islands in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily (Italy)

Geographic coordinates: 35 50 N 14 35 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 316 km²
Land: 316 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 209
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 196.8 km (excludes 56 km for the island of Gozo)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm

Climate: Mediterranean; mild rainy winters; hot dry summers

Terrain: mostly low rocky flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs

Elevation
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m: highest point: Ta'Dmejrek on Dingli Cliffs 253 m

Natural resources: limestone salt arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 32.3%
Forest: 0.9%
Other: 66.8%

Irrigated land: 35 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional droughts

Geography
Note: the country comprises an archipelago with only the three largest islands (Malta Ghawdex or Gozo and Kemmuna or Comino) inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries particularly for oil exploration


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Population
Distribution: most of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta the largest of the three inhabited islands: 416,338 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 175
Growth rate: 0.26% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 171
Below poverty line: 16.3% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Maltese
Adjective: Maltese

Ethnic groups: Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Languages: Maltese (official) 90.1% English (official) 6% multilingual 3% other 0.9% (2005 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic (official) more than 90% (2006 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.04%
15-24 years: 11.44%
25-54 years: 39.98%
55-64 years: 13.98%
65 years and over: 19.56% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 48.8
Youth dependency ratio: 21.4
Elderly dependency ratio: 27.3
Potential support ratio: 3.7

Median age
Total: 41.8 years
Male: 40.8 years
Female: 43 years
Rank: 36

Population growth rate: 0.26% (2017 est.)
Rank: 171

Birth rate: 10.1 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 192

Death rate: 9.4 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 59

Net migration rate: 2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 48

Population distribution: most of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta the largest of the three inhabited islands

Urbanization
Urban population: 95.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.32% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: VALLETTA (capital) 197,000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: limited natural freshwater resources; increasing reliance on desalination
International agreements party to: Air Pollution Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male/female
25-54 years: 1.05 male/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 26.9 years
Note: data refer to the average of the different childbearing ages of first-order births

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.5 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.1 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 203

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.5 years
Male: 78.1 years
Female: 83 years
Rank: 39

Total fertility rate: 1.55 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 190

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.91 physicians/1000 population (2015)

Hospital bed density: 4.8 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2016 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 109
People living with hivaids: 500 (2016 est.)
Deaths: 100 (2016 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 28.9% (2016)
Rank: 28

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 8.3% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 23

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 94.4%
Male: 93.1%
Female: 95.8%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 15 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Malta
Conventional short form: Malta
Local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta
Local short form: Malta
Etymology: the ancient Greeks called the island 'Melite' meaning 'honey-sweet' from the Greek word 'meli' meaning 'honey' and referring to the island's honey production

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Valletta
Geographic coordinates: 35 53 N 14 30 E
Time difference: UTC+1
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 68 localities (Il-lokalita); Attard Balzan Birgu Birkirkara Birzebbuga Bormla Dingli Fgura Floriana Fontana Ghajnsielem Gharb Gharghur Ghasri Ghaxaq Gudja Gzira Hamrun Iklin Imdina Imgarr Imqabba Imsida Imtarfa Isla Kalkara Kercem Kirkop Lija Luqa Marsa Marsaskala Marsaxlokk Mellieha Mosta Munxar Nadur Naxxar Paola Pembroke Pieta Qala Qormi Qrendi Rabat Rabat (Ghawdex) Safi San Giljan/Saint Julian San Gwann/Saint John San Lawrenz/Saint Lawrence Sannat San Pawl il-Bahar/Saint Paul's Bay Santa Lucija/Saint Lucia Santa Venera/Saint Venera Siggiewi Sliema Swieqi Tarxien Ta' Xbiex Valletta Xaghra Xewkija Xghajra Zabbar Zebbug Zebbug (Ghawdex) Zejtun Zurrieq

Dependent areas

Independence: 21 September 1964 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 21 September (1964); Republic Day 13 December (1974)

Constitution
History: many previous; latest adopted 21 September 1964
Amendments: proposals require at least two-thirds majority vote by the House of Representatives; passage of 'Acts' requires majority vote by referendum followed by final majority vote by the House and assent by the president of the republic; amended many times last in 2016 (2017)

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law and civil law based on the Roman and Napoleonic civil codes

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Malta
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age (16 in local council elections); universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Marie-Louise Coleiro PRECA
Head of government: Prime Minister Joseph MUSCAT
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by the House of Representatives for a 5-year term ; election last held on 4 April 2014 (next to be held by April 2019); following legislative elections the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president for a 5-year term; deputy prime minister appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Election results: Marie-Louise Coleiro PRECA elected president; House of Representatives vote - unanimous; Joseph MUSCAT (PL) reappointed prime minister

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral House of Representatives or Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati a component of the Parliament of Malta ; note - the parliament elected in 2013 had 69 seats; an additional two seats were added in 2016 by the Constitutional Court to correct for mistakes made in the 2013 vote-counting process
Elections: last held on 3 June 2017 ; note - Prime Minister MUSCAT called for early elections amid corruption allegations
Election results: percent of vote by party - PL 55.0% PN 43.7% other 1.3%; seats by party - PL 37 PN 30; note - PN was awarded two additional seats for a total of 30 in accordance with the proportionality provisions specified in the constitution; PD candidates ran under the PN list

Judicial branch
Highest court: Court of Appeal ; Constitutional Court (consists of 3 judges); Court of Criminal Appeal (consists of either 1 or 3 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president usually upon the advice of the prime minister; judges of both courts serve until age 65
Subordinate courts: Civil Court ; Criminal Court; Court of Magistrates; Gozo Courts (for the islands of Gozo and Comino}

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Australia Group C CD CE EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EMU EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NSG OAS (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA PFP Schengen Convention UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO Union Latina (observer) UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Pierre Clive AGIUS
In the us chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 462-3,611 through 3,612
In the us FAX: [1] 387-5,470
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador G. Kathleen HILL
From the us embassy: Ta' Qali National Park Attard ATD 4,000
From the us mailing address: 5,800 Valletta Place Dulles VA 20,189
From the us telephone: [356] 2,561 4,000
From the us FAX: [356] 2,124 3,229

Flag description: two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross edged in red; according to legend the colors are taken from the red and white checkered banner of Count Roger of Sicily who removed a bi-colored corner and granted it to Malta in 1091; an uncontested explanation is that the colors are those of the Knights of Saint John who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798; in 1942 King George VI of the UK awarded the George Cross to the islanders for their exceptional bravery and gallantry in World War II; since independence in 1964 the George Cross bordered in red has appeared directly on the white field

National symbols: Maltese eight-pointed cross; national colors: red white

National anthem
Name: 'L-Innu Malti'
Lyrics and music: Dun Karm PSAILA/Robert SAMMUT
Note: adopted 1945; written in the form of a prayer

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 150

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 40

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 44

Gross national saving:
Rank: 35

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 49%
Government consumption: 16.8%
Investment in fixed capital: 23.3%
Investment in inventories: -1%
Exports of goods and services: 141.4%
Imports of goods and services: -129.5%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.3%
Industry: 10.6%
Services: 88.1%

Agriculture products: potatoes cauliflower grapes wheat barley tomatoes citrus cut flowers green peppers; pork milk poultry eggs

Industries: tourism electronics ship building and repair construction food and beverages pharmaceuticals footwear clothing tobacco aviation services financial services information technology services

Industrial production growth rate: -3.3% (2016 est.)
Rank: 182

Labor force: 201,300 (2016 est.)
Rank: 171
By occupation agriculture: 1.6%
By occupation industry: 20.7%
By occupation services: 77.7%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 60

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 16.3% (2015 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 134

Budget
Revenues: $4.272 billion
Expenditures: $4.34 billion
Surplus or deficit: -0.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 59

Taxes and other revenues: 39% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 44

Public debt:
Note: Malta reports public debt at nominal value outstanding at the end of the year according to guidelines set out in the Maastricht Treaty for general government gross debt; the data include the following categories of government liabilities : currency and deposits (AF.2) securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3 excluding AF.34) and loans (AF.4); general government comprises the central government state government local government and social security funds
Rank: 83

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 72

Central bank discount rate:
Note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Rank: 159

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 167

Stock of narrow money:
Note: see entry for the EU for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union ; individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
Rank: 72

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 90

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 91

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 87

Current account balance:
Rank: 43

Exports:
Rank: 133
Commodities: machinery and mechanical appliances; mineral fuels oils and petroleum products; pharmaceutical products; books and newspapers; aircraft/spacecraft and parts; toys games and sports equipment
Partners: US 27.3% Germany 13.9% France 8.3% Singapore 5.6% Japan 5.2% Hong Kong 4.3% Italy 4.2% (2016)

Imports:
Rank: 125
Commodities: mineral fuels oils and products; electrical machinery; aircraft/spacecraft and parts thereof; machinery and mechanical appliances; plastic and other semi-manufactured goods; vehicles and parts
Partners: Italy 20.9% Canada 10.4% Germany 6.3% UK 5.9% France 4.4% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 134

Debt external:
Rank: 51

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 129

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 105

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100%
Production: 1.228 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Production rank: 147
Consumption: 2.103 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Consumption rank: 142
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 171
Imports: 1.054 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Imports rank: 68
Installed generating capacity: 670,000 kW (2015 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 136
Generation sources fossil fuels: 88.5% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 63
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 145
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 188
Generation sources other renewable sources: 12.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 59

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 172
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 165
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 164
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 170

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products production rank: 177
Products consumption: 42,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 113
Products exports: 4,031 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products exports rank: 99
Products imports: 43,950 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products imports rank: 90

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2016 est.)
Production rank: 172
Consumption: 0 m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 211
Exports: 0 m³ (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 153
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 158
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 174

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 887,700 Mt (2014 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 168

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 234,383
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 56
Fixed lines rank: 126
Mobile cellular total: 539,589
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 130
Mobile cellular rank: 169

Telephone system
General assessment: automatic system featuring submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 185 per 100 persons
International: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2016)

Broadcast media: 2 publicly owned TV stations Television Malta broadcasting nationally plus an educational channel; several privately owned national television stations 2 of which are owned by political parties; Italian and British broadcast programs are available; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; publicly owned radio broadcaster operates 3 stations; roughly 20 commercial radio stations (2017)

Internet
Country code: .mt
Users total: 320,902
Users percent of population: 77.3%
Users rank: 160

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 122

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2017)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 9
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 28
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,583,046
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 3.352 million mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 9H (2016)

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 225
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 3,096 km
Paved: 2,704 km
Unpaved: 392 km
Rank: 164

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 1650
By type: bulk carrier 544 cargo 351 carrier 1 chemical tanker 324 container 117 liquefied gas 36 passenger 50 passenger/cargo 18 petroleum tanker 160 refrigerated cargo 7 roll on/roll off 22 specialized tanker 2 vehicle carrier 18
Foreign owned: 1437
Registered in other countries: 2 (2010)
Rank: 4

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Marsaxlokk Valletta
Container port: Marsaxlokk (2,360,000)


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe