Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Malta
Malta: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 24.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue in Malta, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, tax revenue in Malta stood at 24.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.3% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Malta peaked at 26.9% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 16.6%, in 1987.
That places Malta 18th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Malta, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 21.2% | — |
| 1973 | 22.0% | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 20.7% | -6.1% |
| 1975 | 18.9% | -8.7% |
| 1976 | 17.7% | -6.1% |
| 1977 | 18.4% | +3.5% |
| 1978 | 19.2% | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 19.7% | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 19.2% | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 18.5% | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 17.9% | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 16.8% | -5.7% |
| 1985 | 17.7% | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 17.2% | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 16.6% | -3.7% |
| 1988 | 17.6% | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 17.9% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 18.2% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 18.5% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 19.0% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 19.4% | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 18.2% | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 20.3% | +12.0% |
| 1996 | 18.2% | -10.5% |
| 1997 | 20.1% | +10.1% |
| 1998 | 18.3% | -8.6% |
| 1999 | 20.5% | +11.9% |
| 2000 | 21.0% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 22.2% | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 23.1% | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 23.3% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 23.5% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 25.3% | +7.6% |
| 2006 | 25.8% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 26.9% | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 25.7% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 25.9% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 25.1% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 25.4% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 25.3% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 25.1% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 24.3% | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 26.2% | +7.9% |
| 2017 | 26.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 25.4% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 25.1% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 22.5% | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 22.4% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 23.0% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 21.4% | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 24.1% | +12.3% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 24.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.7%, 1.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Malta's 24.1% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 10.5%, 2.3× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.7% | 17.7% | 22.0% | 7 |
| 1980s | 17.9% | 16.6% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.1% | 18.2% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.3% | 21.0% | 26.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.4% | 24.3% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.7% | 21.4% | 24.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More public sector data for Malta
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 45.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 81.41 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 33.33 % change on previous year (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Malta?
- Tax revenue in Malta was 24.1% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 26.9% in 2007.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.6% in 1987.
- How does Malta rank for tax revenue?
- Malta ranks 18th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Tax revenue (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.