Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Malta
Malta: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Malta, 2002–2023
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Malta stood at 0.6%.
The figure is up 12.8% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Malta peaked at 0.8% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2003.
That places Malta 53rd out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Malta, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0.3% | — |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -4.9% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +104.9% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | +15.5% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +12.2% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +20.9% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -22.7% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +9.4% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | +12.8% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 0.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 43% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Malta's 0.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.6%, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Malta changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +104.9% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More science & technology data for Malta
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 142.07 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.35 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 766,620 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 2,342 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 1.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 497.77 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0009 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Malta?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Malta was 0.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2012.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2003.
- How does Malta rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Malta ranks 53rd out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Research & development spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.