Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Malta
Malta: Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines was 16.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Malta, 2004–2021
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2021, poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Malta stood at 16.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Malta peaked at 17.1% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 2005.
That places Malta 38th out of 70 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Malta, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 14.3% | — |
| 2005 | 14.2% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 15.3% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 14.9% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 15.5% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 15.6% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 15.1% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 15.8% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 15.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16.6% | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 16.5% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 16.7% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 16.8% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 17.1% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 16.9% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 16.7% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.9% | 14.2% | 15.5% | 6 |
| 2010s | 16.3% | 15.1% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.8% | 16.7% | 16.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malta
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 poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Malta?
- Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Malta was 16.7% in 2021, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W.
- What is the highest poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 17.1% in 2018.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 2005.
- How does Malta rank for poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines?
- Malta ranks 38th out of 70 countries with data for 2021.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. 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. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W, published as part of Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.