GFmag Online Readers Survey 2012
Malta


Malta Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts; economic, financial and trade information; the best banks in Malta; country and population overview

DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Central bankCentral Bank of Malta
Malta is part of the Eurosystem and the European Central Bank
International ReservesUS$ 472.750 million (Source: IMF; Data updated: November 2011)
Gross Domestic Product - GDPUS$ 8.985 billion (2009 estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)10.793 billion of International dollars (2009 estimate)
Real GDP growth
20002001200220032004200520062007
N/A-1.6%2.6%-0.3%0.9%4%3.6%3.7%
2008200920102011*
2.6%-3.4%3.7%2.5%

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current pricesUS$ 21,240 (2008 estimate)
GDP per capita - PPP$25,514 International Dollars (2008 estimate)
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
19801990200020102015**
N/AN/A0.02%0.01%0.01%

**Forecast

GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 1.9% 
  • industry: 17.2% 
  • services: 80.9% (2010 estimate)

    • (Data released on February 2012)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)N/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Inflation
2008200920102011*
4.7%(2008)1.8%2%3%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2008200920102011*
6%7%6.5%(2009)6.5%

*Estimate

Household saving ratesN/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
20072008200920102011*
61.7%63.1%67.5%67%66.7%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2007200820092010*2011**
-2.1%-4.4%-3.8%-3.8%-3.6%

*Estimate    **Forecast

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: A/Stable/A-1

Moody's rating: A1

Moody's outlook: STA

(Foreign Currency Government Bond Ratings; Data last updated Nov 2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares
200720082009
US$5.633 billionUS$3.572 billionUS$1.982 billion
Largest companies in MaltaN/A
DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
Current account balanceUS$ -0.1 billion (2008 estimate)(After 2008)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP-1.1% of GDP (2008 estimate)(2009)
Exports as percent of GDP

(Exports of goods and services)

87.7% (2007)

(Data released on December 2010)

Shares in world total merchandising export0.02%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Shares in world total commercial services export0.09%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Total exportsUS$3.124 billion f.o.b. (2010 estimate)
Export commoditiesmachinery and transport equipment, manufactures
Total importsUS$4.963 billion f.o.b. (2008 estimate)
Import commoditiesmachinery and transport equipment, manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, tobacco
Exports - major partnersSingapore 14.4%, Germany 13.7%, France 12.6%, US 11.3%, UK 10%, Hong Kong 6.1%, Japan 4.9%, Italy 4% (2007)
Imports - major partnersItaly 26%, UK 15%, France 9.5%, Germany 8.8%, Singapore 5.2% (2007)
FDI inflows
200820092010
US$845 millionUS$760 million(2009)US$1,041 million(2009)
FDI outflows
200820092010
US$305 millionUS$134 millionUS$87 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2008200920102011
US$-25 millionN/A(2009)US$235 million(2009)N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2008

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2010

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A(2008 estimate)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Best countries for doing business

World Bank/IFC Doing Business Project

(Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 183. A high ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.)

Overall ranking: N/A(2009) (2010)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: N/A(2009)

Registering property: N/A

Paying Taxes: N/A

Getting credit: N/A

Protecting investors: N/A

Trading across border: N/A

Enforcing Contracts: N/A

(2010)

Global competitiveness ranking
(ranking by country on a basis of 142, the first is the best)		51

(2011/2012)

Index of Economic Freedom

WSJ and Heritage Foundation

Ranking: 57 Score: 65.7 (Moderately Free) (2009)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed )

COUNTRY AND POPULATION OVERVIEW
Time zoneUTC+1
Total area 316 km2 (2006)
CapitalValletta (2009)
Currencyeuros (EUR) (2009)
Government typerepublic (2009)
LanguagesMaltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.8% (2005 census)
ReligionsRoman Catholic 98%
Total population
1980199020002010*2015**
0.32 million0.35 million0.39 million0.42 million0.44 million

*Estimate    **Forecast

Urban population as % of total population
1960198020002009
90.1%89.8%92.4%94.5%
Population median age38.0 years (2006)
Population growth rate0.7% (2009)
Life expectancy79 years (2007)
Adult literacy92% (2000/2007)
% of population living on less than $2 a dayN/A
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

N/A

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Political Rights:1
Civil Liberties:1 (2010)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)

Total telephone subscribers as % of population

168.72% (2010)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population63% (Data were released in 2011 and refer to 2010)
Cost of living index

(ranking by city on a basis of 214; the 1st is the most expensive and the 214th is the least expensive)

N/A

CO2 emissions
(Metric tons of CO2 per capita)

6.2828 (2008)

GLOBAL FINANCE RANKINGS AND AWARDS

WORLD'S BEST TRADE FINANCE BANKS & PROVIDERS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS FIMBank (National, 2012)
2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS HSBC Bank Malta (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS HSBC Bank Malta (National, 2010)

WORLD'S BEST INTERNET BANKS

2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks HSBC (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks HSBC (2009)

WORLD'S BEST EMERGING MARKET BANKS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank of Valletta (National, 2012)
2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank of Valletta (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank of Valletta (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS HSBC Bank Malta (2009)

CENTRAL BANKER REPORT CARD

2010:
ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE