Malta: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 112.5% (2020), 7th of 176 in the world and 1st of 15 in the Middle East & North Africa. Primary enrolment is 97.7% (2023), 118th of 191 in the world and 9th of 19 in the Middle East & North Africa. Primary completion is 97.1% (2023), 67th of 168 in the world and 7th of 19 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Education: Malta in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 112.5%2020 | 7/176 | 1/15 | 101.0% | 113.5% | 112.5% | −1.0 ppsince 2010 | 33.8% | 83.8% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 97.7%2023 | 118/191 | 9/19 | 105.5%2001 | 102.6% | 98.1% | −3.2 ppsince 2013 | 94.6% | 99.8% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 97.1%2023 | 67/168 | 7/19 | 102.5%2001 | 102.0% | 97.2% | −2.7 ppsince 2013 | 83.7% | 97.8% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 103.0%2023 | 50/176 | 3/17 | 90.7%2001 | 105.1% | 100.1% | +6.6 ppsince 2013 | 65.8% | 103.2% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 97.3%2023 | 45/168 | 5/19 | 84.9%2001 | 103.7% | 98.6% | −3.2 ppsince 2013 | 66.7% | 95.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 80.5%2023 | 27/172 | 2/19 | 25.0%2001 | 36.8% | 61.5% | +36.0 ppsince 2013 | 29.7% | 82.0% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 2.6%2023 | 101/178 | 10/17 | · | 0.1%2011 | 2.3% | +1.6 ppsince 2013 | — | 2.5% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 93.3%2011 | 74/141 | 10/18 | · | 93.3%2011 | · | +5.4 ppsince 1995 | 75.6% | 97.7% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 98.9%2011 | 60/148 | 7/19 | · | 98.9%2011 | · | +2.8 ppsince 1995 | 86.9% | 99.3% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 12.92017 | 135/173 | 14/20 | 19.1 | 14.3 | · | −23%since 2007 | 21.3 | 14.0 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 4.7%2022 | 70/184 | 7/16 | 4.2%2002 | 6.2% | 4.9%2021 | −1.5 ppsince 2012 | 4.4% | 4.7% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 12.5%2022 | 95/179 | 10/15 | 9.5%2002 | 15.5% | 12.5%2021 | −2.5 ppsince 2012 | 13.1% | 12.0% | 14.0% |
Better than ten years ago
- Secondary enrolment+6.6 pp103.0% in 2023
- Tertiary enrolment+36.0 pp80.5% in 2023
- Adult literacy+5.4 pp93.3% in 2011
- Youth literacy+2.8 pp98.9% in 2011
Worse than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment−1.0 pp112.5% in 2020
- Primary completion−2.7 pp97.1% in 2023
- Lower secondary completion−3.2 pp97.3% in 2023
- Out-of-school children+1.6 pp2.6% in 2023
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
Malta and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Malta. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Malta | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 112.5%2020 | 92.7%2020 |
| Primary enrolment | 97.7%2023 | 103.6%2023 |
| Primary completion | 97.1%2023 | 97.4%2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 103.0%2023 | 100.7%2023 |
| Lower secondary completion | 97.3%2023 | 96.3%2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 80.5%2023 | 75.9%2023 |
| Out-of-school children | 2.6%2023 | 2.1%2023 |
| Adult literacy | 93.3%2011 | 99.3%2019 |
| Youth literacy | 98.9%2011 | 99.9%2019 |