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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malta

Malta: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
4.7%
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
73rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.6%
in 2011
All-time low
2.9%
in 1982
Years of data
38
1971–2022

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malta, 1971–2022

024681971199620221971: 6.2 % of GDP1972: 5.5 % of GDP1973: 5.3 % of GDP1974: 4.5 % of GDP1975: 4.4 % of GDP1976: 3.8 % of GDP1977: 3.9 % of GDP1978: 3.3 % of GDP1979: 3.2 % of GDP1981: 2.9 % of GDP1982: 2.9 % of GDP1983: 3.3 % of GDP1984: 3.1 % of GDP1985: 3.2 % of GDP1986: 3.1 % of GDP1987: 3.2 % of GDP1988: 3.3 % of GDP1989: 3.6 % of GDP1990: 3.8 % of GDP1991: 3.9 % of GDP1992: 4.3 % of GDP1998: 4.2 % of GDP2002: 4.2 % of GDP2004: 4.4 % of GDP2007: 6 % of GDP2008: 5.5 % of GDP2009: 5 % of GDP2010: 6.2 % of GDP2011: 7.6 % of GDP2012: 6.2 % of GDP2013: 7.4 % of GDP2014: 6.8 % of GDP2015: 4.9 % of GDP2016: 5 % of GDP2017: 4.3 % of GDP2019: 4.8 % of GDP2021: 4.9 % of GDP2022: 4.7 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malta is 4.7%, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of down 4.4% on the previous year and down 24.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malta peaked at 7.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 1982.

That places Malta 73rd out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.5% 3.2% 6.2% 9
1980s 3.2% 2.9% 3.6% 9
1990s 4.1% 3.8% 4.3% 4
2000s 5.0% 4.2% 6.0% 5
2010s 5.9% 4.3% 7.6% 9
2020s 4.8% 4.7% 4.9% 2

Countries ranked near Malta

  1. 70 Canada 4.8% compare
  2. 71 Uruguay 4.8% compare
  3. 72 Cyprus 4.7% compare
  4. 74 Slovakia 4.7% compare
  5. 75 Belize 4.6% compare
  6. 76 Rwanda 4.6% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Malta

All data for Malta →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malta?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malta was 4.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Malta?
The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 2011.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Malta?
The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 1982.
How does Malta rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Malta ranks 73rd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Malta?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malta data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.