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Photo: Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 06 of 12 · Country Index 2026
Malta: Development & Human Capital
Is a country turning its resources into better lives?
Malta is placed 24th of 194 countries on development & human capital in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Maternal Mortality Ratio 8.39 (2023); Human Development Index 0.924 (2023).
Development & Human Capital
24th
of 194 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Malta on development & human capital — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country in that edition, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Maternal Mortality Ratio
UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG)
Why it is a key: Whether a woman survives giving birth — the reach of a health system at the moment it is hardest to fake.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
8.39
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births
Lower is better
Malta: 8.39. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 0.11 (Cook Islands) to 992.83 (Nigeria); the world median is 46.65.
- World median
- 46.65
- Best in Southern Europe
- 2.72 Spain
Each grey tick is one of 195 countries in the 2023 edition.
Key 2 of 3
Human Development Index
UNDP Human Development Report Office
Why it is a key: The standard composite of health, schooling and income, carrying UNDP's own published rank.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
0.924
HDI score (0–1)
Higher is better
Ranked 24th of 193 by UNDP Human Development Report Office
Malta: 0.924. Across the 193 countries in this edition, values run from 0.388 (South Sudan) to 0.972 (Iceland); the world median is 0.762.
- World median
- 0.762
- Best in Southern Europe
- 0.931 Slovenia
Each grey tick is one of 193 countries in the 2023 edition.
Key 3 of 3
Cereal Yield
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Why it is a key: How much food a hectare of land produces: the clearest single measure of agricultural productivity.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Cereal yield (kg per hectare)
Higher is better
FAO publishes no 2023 figure for Malta, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 179 countries in this edition, values run from 23 (Cabo Verde) to 29,147 (Oman); the world median is 3,072.
- World median
- 3,072
- Best in Southern Europe
- 6,287 Slovenia
Each grey tick is one of 179 countries in the 2023 edition.
02Over time
Which way Malta is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Maternal Mortality Ratio
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births · lower is better
MaltaWorld median
Malta fell from 12.65 in 2000 to 8.39 in 2023; the world median went from 70.99 to 46.65.
Every year’s figures
Year Malta World median 2023 8.39 46.7 2022 9.82 53.0 2021 9.89 76.6 2020 9.97 56.0 2019 8.48 48.4 2018 8.94 49.3 2017 7.36 47.2 2016 9.59 50.6 2015 7.05 51.9 2014 8.17 52.8 2013 7.45 53.3 2012 9.35 54.6 2011 10.52 55.0 2010 8.58 56.1 2009 10.62 56.3 2008 9.88 55.8 2007 10.29 56.8 2006 12.19 58.1 2005 11.04 60.1 2004 11.04 63.0 2003 13.22 66.8 2002 13.17 66.0 2001 12.17 68.1 2000 12.65 71.0 Human Development Index
HDI score (0–1) · higher is better
MaltaWorld median
Malta rose from 0.79 in 2000 to 0.924 in 2023; the world median went from 0.672 to 0.762.
Every year’s figures
Year Malta World median 2023 0.924 0.7620 2022 0.917 0.7610 2021 0.914 0.7450 2020 0.903 0.7425 2019 0.910 0.7515 2018 0.908 0.7520 2017 0.901 0.7480 2016 0.891 0.7500 2015 0.892 0.7430 2014 0.886 0.7410 2013 0.880 0.7390 2012 0.870 0.7350 2011 0.862 0.7250 2010 0.867 0.7250 2009 0.854 0.7220 2008 0.848 0.7180 2007 0.845 0.7100 2006 0.838 0.7045 2005 0.840 0.6960 2004 0.832 0.6960 2003 0.818 0.6910 2002 0.806 0.6845 2001 0.801 0.6770 2000 0.790 0.6720 Cereal Yield
Cereal yield (kg per hectare) · higher is better
MaltaWorld median
Malta rose from 4,008 in 2000 to 4,880 in 2017; the world median went from 2,170 to 2,984.
Every year’s figures
Year Malta World median 2023 — 3,072 2022 — 3,217 2021 — 3,003 2020 — 3,260 2019 — 3,106 2018 — 2,883 2017 4,880 2,984 2016 4,820 3,043 2015 4,824 3,000 2014 4,740 3,001 2013 4,669 2,970 2012 4,640 2,782 2011 4,671 2,754 2010 4,691 2,647 2009 4,789 2,653 2008 4,714 2,664 2007 4,239 2,553 2006 4,032 2,514 2005 4,129 2,512 2004 4,083 2,428 2003 4,014 2,331 2002 4,781 2,378 2001 4,000 2,199 2000 4,008 2,170
03In context
Malta beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 194 countries on development & human capital, never a place within the region.
1st194thNot placed · 30 countries with too few key statisticsNo data
Malta and Southern Europe
Malta has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. The standing is each country’s place among all 194 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Maternal Mortality RatioMaternal deaths per 100,000 live births | Human Development IndexHDI score (0–1) | Cereal YieldCereal yield (kg per hectare) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Slovenia | 8th | 3.33 | 0.931 | 6,287 |
 Croatia | 19th | 3.05 | 0.889 | 5,914 |
| Malta | 24th | 8.39 | 0.924 | — |
 San Marino | 25th | 7.66 | 0.915 | — |
 Italy | 28th | 6.48 | 0.915 | 5,059 |
 Andorra | 32nd | 10.63 | 0.913 | — |
 Greece | =33rd | 4.79 | 0.908 | 4,140 |
 Serbia | 38th | 10.74 | 0.833 | 6,106 |
 Portugal | =39th | 14.95 | 0.89 | 5,521 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 42nd | 6.17 | 0.804 | 5,530 |
 Albania | 46th | 6.87 | 0.81 | 5,170 |
 Spain | 49th | 2.72 | 0.918 | 2,191 |
 North Macedonia | 52nd | 2.76 | 0.815 | 3,408 |
 Montenegro | 53rd | 5.83 | 0.862 | 3,315 |
 Gibraltar | not placed | — | — | — |
 Kosovo | not placed | — | — | — |
 Vatican City | not placed | — | — | — |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across Southern Europe
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 194.
Placed either side on development & human capital
The countries immediately above and below Malta in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Malta is ahead of the world, and behind
40 more statistics filed under development & human capital, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median27
Statistics on which Malta does better than the middle country measured.
Agriculture Orientation IndexFAO · 2024 · world median 0.3052.290.305▲ Improved since 2014
Malta: 2.29 · world median 0.305 · Agriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.03 to 5.38; higher is better.
Position 3rd of 132 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Planetary pressures-adjusted HDIUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6780.7990.678▲ Improved since 2013
Malta: 0.799 · world median 0.678 · PHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.276 to 0.827; higher is better.
Position 8th of 156 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Life Expectancy at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 74.6383.374.63No real change since 2013
Malta: 83.3 · world median 74.63 · Years a newborn would live at current death rates. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 54.46 to 86.37; higher is better.
Position 17th of 222 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
GDP per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 17,26563,65617,265▲ Improved since 2015
Malta: 63,656 · world median 17,265 · GDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,067 to 139,593; higher is better.
Position 17th of 185 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 14,27356,50414,273▲ Improved since 2015
Malta: 56,504 · world median 14,273 · GNI per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,181 to 116,633; higher is better.
Position 10th of 102 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.8430.609▲ Improved since 2013
Malta: 0.843 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 21st of 169 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Stunting Prevalence in Children Under FiveUNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates) · 2024 · world median 13.83.28113.8No earlier reading
Malta: 3.281 · world median 13.8 · Children under 5 who are stunted (%). UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.518 to 52.8; lower is better.
Position 142nd of 162 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Prosperity GapWorld Bank Group · 2022 · world median 2.1180.6842.118▲ Improved since 2012
Malta: 0.684 · world median 2.118 · Average factor incomes must rise by to reach $28 a day. World Bank Group, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.43 to 24.43; lower is better.
Position 63rd of 73 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Completeness of Birth RegistrationUNICEF · 2025 · world median 98.410098.4No earlier reading
Malta: 100 · world median 98.4 · Children under 5 whose birth is registered (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.7 to 100; higher is better.
Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2022 · world median 1.050.111.05▲ Improved since 2012
Malta: 0.11 · world median 1.05 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 81.36; lower is better.
Position 62nd of 71 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2022 · world median 10.790.7210.79▼ Worsened since 2012
Malta: 0.72 · world median 10.79 · Population below $8.30 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.04 to 96.28; lower is better.
Position 62nd of 73 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Mean Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 9.93312.429.933▲ Improved since 2013
Malta: 12.42 · world median 9.933 · Mean years of schooling (adults 25+). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 1.412 to 14.3; higher is better.
Position 33rd of 193 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2022 · world median 0.420.060.42▲ Improved since 2012
Malta: 0.06 · world median 0.42 · Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 44.72; lower is better.
Position 61st of 69 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Human Capital IndexWorld Bank Group · 2020 · world median 0.5640.7090.564▲ Improved since 2010
Malta: 0.709 · world median 0.564 · HCI score (0–1). World Bank Group, 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 0.292 to 0.879; higher is better.
Position 32nd of 172 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Prevalence of UndernourishmentFAO · 2023 · world median 5.22.55.2▼ Worsened since 2013
Malta: 2.5 · world median 5.2 · Population undernourished (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 54.2; lower is better.
Position 104th of 104 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Account Ownership at a Financial InstitutionWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 72.8396.5672.83▼ Worsened since 2014
Malta: 96.56 · world median 72.83 · Adults with an account (% of population aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 14.83 to 99.85; higher is better.
Position 27th of 139 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.058.62617.05▼ Worsened since 2013
Malta: 8.626 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 135th of 169 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.1110.351▲ Improved since 2013
Malta: 0.111 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 36th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Under-Five Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 14.545.33514.54No real change since 2014
Malta: 5.335 · world median 14.54 · Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.26 to 115.65; lower is better.
Position 159th of 200 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Social Protection CoverageILO · 2025 · world median 52.186.752.1No earlier reading
Malta: 86.7 · world median 52.1 · Population covered by at least one social protection benefit (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
Dietary Energy SupplyFAO · 2024 · world median 2,9823,4052,982▼ Worsened since 2014
Malta: 3,405 · world median 2,982 · Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1,757 to 3,962; higher is better.
Position 35th of 155 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Statistical Performance IndicatorsWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 69.383.8569.3▲ Improved since 2016
Malta: 83.85 · world median 69.3 · SPI overall score (0–100). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 27.12 to 94.14; higher is better.
Position 45th of 188 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Expected Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 13.3415.9113.34No real change since 2013
Malta: 15.91 · world median 13.34 · Expected years of schooling. UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 5.635 to 21.69; higher is better.
Position 48th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Prevalence of Severe Food InsecurityFAO · 2023 · world median 4.72.14.7No real change since 2015
Malta: 2.1 · world median 4.7 · Population in severe food insecurity (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 63.1; lower is better.
Position 95th of 127 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.9770.971▲ Improved since 2013
Malta: 0.977 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 71st of 184 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Income Share Held by Lowest 20%World Bank Group · 2022 · world median 7.087.347.08▼ Worsened since 2012
Malta: 7.34 · world median 7.08 · Share of national income held by the poorest fifth (%). World Bank Group, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 3.22 to 10.36; higher is better.
Position 31st of 73 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Organic Agricultural AreaFAO · 2024 · world median 0.7250.990.725▲ Improved since 2014
Malta: 0.99 · world median 0.725 · Organic share of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 86.38; higher is better.
Position 68th of 150 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Behind the world median4
Statistics on which Malta does worse than the middle country measured.
Gini IndexWorld Bank Group · 2022 · world median 33.9134.5933.91▼ Worsened since 2012
Malta: 34.59 · world median 33.91 · Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality). World Bank Group, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 24.08 to 54.82; lower is better.
Position 34th of 73 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Livestock Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 107.0696.32107.06▼ Worsened since 2012
Malta: 96.32 · world median 107.06 · Livestock production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 35.52 to 190.08; higher is better.
Position 155th of 194 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Food Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.0875.95106.08▼ Worsened since 2012
Malta: 75.95 · world median 106.08 · Food production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 71.08 to 177.49; higher is better.
Position 191st of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Crop Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.2353.79106.23▼ Worsened since 2012
Malta: 53.79 · world median 106.23 · Crop production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 53.79 to 189.93; higher is better.
Position 195th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Level with the median, or no median to compare1
Access to ElectricityWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 100100100▼ Worsened since 2014
Malta: 100 · world median 100 · Population with electricity access (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 5.4 to 100; higher is better.
No better end8
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Cereal Import Dependency RatioFAO · 2022 · world median 42.810042.8Moved since 2012
Malta: 100 · world median 42.8 · Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from -1,894 to 100.
Agricultural Irrigated LandFAO · 2023 · world median 3.6633.873.66No earlier reading
Malta: 33.87 · world median 3.66 · Irrigated share of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 89.04.
Position 7th of 121 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Water Withdrawal by SectorFAO · 2022 · world median 62.1434.5362.14Moved since 2012
Malta: 34.53 · world median 62.14 · Freshwater withdrawn for agriculture (% of total). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 99.48.
Position 117th of 171 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Manufacturing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 11.265.34211.26Moved since 2015
Malta: 5.342 · world median 11.26 · Manufacturing value added (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.481 to 43.97.
Position 112th of 132 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Arable Land per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 0.1090.0130.109Moved since 2013
Malta: 0.013 · world median 0.109 · Arable land (hectares per person). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1.459.
Position 186th of 206 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Household ConsumptionWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 62.0444.5662.04Moved since 2015
Malta: 44.56 · world median 62.04 · Household and NPISH final consumption expenditure (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 25.21 to 133.34.
Position 120th of 131 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 6.5720.4696.572Moved since 2015
Malta: 0.469 · world median 6.572 · Agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.025 to 47.59.
Position 154th of 158 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Land Under Cereal ProductionFAO · 2023 · world median 689,2780689,278Moved since 2013
Malta: 0 · world median 689,278 · Land under cereal production (hectares). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 103,715,108.
Position 179th of 179 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for Malta
Cereal Yield (last 2017), Child Marriage, Children with Functional Difficulties, Cost of Sending Remittances, Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six Months, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, Global Report on Food Crises, Net Official Development Assistance Received (last 2002) and Violent Discipline of Children. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Development & Human Capital among Malta’s 12 topics
Development & Human Capital is Malta’s 3rd best-placed topic of 12. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Peace & Security6th of 1773/3 keys
- Work & Labour20th of 1824/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital24th of 1942/3 keys
- Economy & Innovation20th of 1502/3 keys
- Health & Wellbeing36th of 2014/4 keys
- Mobility & Connectivity27th of 1473/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience35th of 1913/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions39th of 1934/5 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties42nd of 1983/3 keys
- Gender & Equality39th of 1783/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge71st of 1822/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability136th of 1613/3 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on development & human capital
The three countries placed highest of 194, and the leaders Malta can most readily be measured against.
1
United Arab EmiratesWestern Asia
1st of 194 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
BelgiumWestern Europe
2nd of 194 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Gf uip · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
GermanyWestern Europe
3rd of 194 · 3 of 3 keys
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Placed highest nearby
Highest in Europe
Belgium2nd3/3 keysHighest in Southern Europe
Slovenia8th3/3 keysThis page
Malta24th2/3 keys
Positions out of 194 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Malta and development & human capital
On development & human capital
Global Hunger Index 2025: Countries with the Most Alarming Hunger Crisis
Thirteen countries scored across four editions — 2000, 2008, 2016 and 2025 — and five the report could not score at all. DR Congo and South Sudan share 121st place on 37.5.
On development & human capital
India vs Pakistan 2025: Comparison of Hunger Index, Happiness, HDI, Rule of Law, Literacy & GDP
India and Pakistan on six published measures: hunger, happiness, human development, rule of law, literacy and GDP per capita. India is the better placed on five of them; Pakistan on one.
08Questions
Malta on development & human capital: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Malta rank on development & human capital?
Malta is placed 24th of 194 countries on Development & Human Capital in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics (Maternal Mortality Ratio and Human Development Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Maternal Mortality Ratio figure for Malta?
8.39 in 2023 (maternal deaths per 100,000 live births), according to UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG). The world median in the same edition was 46.65.
What is the latest Human Development Index figure for Malta?
0.924 in 2023 (hDI score (0–1)), according to UNDP Human Development Report Office. The world median in the same edition was 0.762.
How have Malta’s development & human capital figures changed?
Maternal Mortality Ratio fell from 12.65 in 2000 to 8.39 in 2023; Human Development Index rose from 0.79 in 2000 to 0.924 in 2023; Cereal Yield rose from 4,008 in 2000 to 4,880 in 2017.
Which development & human capital statistics are missing for Malta?
No current reading is published for Malta on Cereal Yield, Child Marriage, Children with Functional Difficulties, Cost of Sending Remittances, Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six Months, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, Global Report on Food Crises, Net Official Development Assistance Received and Violent Discipline of Children. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Keep reading
Explore further
Malta, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions39th of 193
- Economy & Innovation20th of 150
- Work & Labour20th of 182
- Education & Knowledge71st of 182
- Health & Wellbeing36th of 201
- Environment & Sustainability136th of 161
- Gender & Equality39th of 178
- Democracy & Civil Liberties42nd of 198
- Peace & Security6th of 177
- Risk & Resilience35th of 191
- Mobility & Connectivity27th of 147
- The full Malta profile
Nearby, on development & human capital
The key statistics, for every country
10Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Poverty lines, inequality and aid received are published here as context rather than as keys, often because they cover fewer countries or are measured too rarely. Development is also not the same as economic size or growth, which belong to Economy & Innovation.
How the Development & Human Capital standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 3 indicators on this topic are keys and 49 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. All of them describe 2023.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 3 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 194 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 3.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- Maternal Mortality Ratio — UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Human Development Index — UNDP Human Development Report Office, CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Cereal Yield — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 40 statistics on this page come from 8 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Malta’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Malta (banner) — Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- United Arab Emirates — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Belgium — Gf uip, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Germany — dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Malta: Development & Human Capital — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/malta/development