Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malta
Malta: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 550,570 people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malta, 2006–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Malta recorded 550,570 people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2023. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Malta peaked at 550,570 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 403,082 people, in 2006.
Malta ranks 119th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malta, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 403,082 people | — |
| 2007 | 404,578 people | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 408,645 people | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 410,501 people | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 413,436 people | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 415,395 people | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 419,242 people | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 424,684 people | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 433,481 people | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 443,845 people | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 453,989 people | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 466,336 people | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 483,132 people | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 502,377 people | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 513,460 people | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 517,519 people | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 530,529 people | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 550,570 people | +3.8% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 550,570 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.58 million people, 6% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Malta's 550,570 people is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 15.21 million people, 4% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 406,702 people | 403,082 people | 410,501 people | 4 |
| 2010s | 445,592 people | 413,436 people | 502,377 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 528,020 people | 513,460 people | 550,570 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 116 Bhutan 780,860 people compare
- 117 Luxembourg 665,863 people compare
- 118 Montenegro 609,465 people compare
- 120 Iceland 360,275 people compare
More poverty & inequality data for Malta
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,880 kg per hectare (2017)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2017)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2017)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 32.81 (2009)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 32.8% (2009)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2009)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Malta?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malta was 550,570 people in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 550,570 people in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 403,082 people in 2006.
- How does Malta rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Malta ranks 119th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.