Malta — Country profile

Maltese (official) 90.1%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.9% (2005 est.)

Roman Catholic (official) more than 90% (2006 est.)

7.67 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

8.65 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

7.86 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

7.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.4 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

1.18 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.65% (2025 est.)

0.57 (2025 est.)

most of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta, the largest of the three inhabited islands

8 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

213,000 VALLETTA (capital) (2018)

28.9% (2016)

29.3 years (2020 est.)

52% (2021 est.)

0.7% (2022 est.)

description: two equal vertical bands of white (left side) and red; in the upper-left corner is the George Cross, edged in red

history: according to legend, the colors come from the red-and-white checkered banner of Count Roger of Sicily, who removed a bicolored corner and granted it to Malta in 1091, but the colors more likely come from the Knights of Saint John, who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798; in 1942, Britain's King George VI awarded the George Cross to the islanders for their exceptional bravery and gallantry in World War II, and the George Cross bordered in red was added to the flag after independence in 1964 

18 years of age (16 in local council elections); universal

21 September 1964 (from the UK)

mixed system of English common law and civil law based on the Roman and Napoleonic civil codes; subject to European Union law

parliamentary republic

Independence Day, 21 September (1964); Republic Day, 13 December (1974)

red, white

AD+PD or ADPD (formed from the merger of Democratic Alternative or AD and Democratic Party (Partit Demokratiku) or PD)
Labor Party (Partit Laburista) or PL 
Nationalist Party (Partit Nazzjonalista) or PN 

Maltese eight-pointed cross

68 localities (Il-lokalita); Attard, Balzan, Birgu, Birkirkara, Birzebbuga, Bormla, Dingli, Fgura, Floriana, Fontana, Ghajnsielem, Gharb, Gharghur, Ghasri, Ghaxaq, Gudja, Gzira, Hamrun, Iklin, Imdina, Imgarr, Imqabba, Imsida, Imtarfa, Isla, Kalkara, Kercem, Kirkop, Lija, Luqa, Marsa, Marsaskala, Marsaxlokk, Mellieha, Mosta, Munxar, Nadur, Naxxar, Paola, Pembroke, Pieta, Qala, Qormi, Qrendi, Rabat, Rabat (Ghawdex), Safi, San Giljan/Saint Julian, San Gwann/Saint John, San Lawrenz/Saint Lawrence, Sannat, San Pawl il-Bahar/Saint Paul's Bay, Santa Lucija/Saint Lucia, Santa Venera/Saint Venera, Siggiewi, Sliema, Swieqi, Tarxien, Ta' Xbiex, Valletta, Xaghra, Xewkija, Xghajra, Zabbar, Zebbug, Zebbug (Ghawdex), Zejtun, Zurrieq

Australia Group, C, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO (partner), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

2 publicly owned TV stations, Television Malta and an educational channel; several privately owned national television stations, 2 of which are owned by political parties; Italian and British broadcast programs are available; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; publicly owned radio broadcaster operates 3 stations; roughly 20 commercial radio stations (2019)

.mt

1 (2025)

2 (2025)

9H

Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers

mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs

Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)

196.8 km (excludes 56 km for the island of Gozo)

39 sq km (2022)

Europe

occasional droughts

the country is an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors

limestone, salt, arable land

slightly less than twice the size of Washington, D.C.

35 50 N, 14 35 E

most of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta, the largest of the three inhabited islands

Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers

limited natural freshwater resources; deforestation; wildlife preservation

13.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

50.5 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) are responsible for external security but also have some domestic security responsibilities; the AFM’s primary roles include maintaining the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, monitoring and policing its territorial waters, participating in overseas peacekeeping and stability operations, and providing search and rescue and explosive ordnance disposal capabilities; secondary missions include assisting civil authorities during emergencies, supporting the police and other security services, and providing ceremonial and other public support duties

Malta maintains a security policy of neutrality but contributes to EU, Organization for the Security and Cooperation (OSCE), and UN military missions and joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1995 (suspended in 1996, but reactivated in 2008); it also participates in various bilateral and multinational military exercises; Malta cooperates closely with Italy on defense matters; in 1973, Italy established a military mission in Malta to provide advice, training, and search and rescue assistance (2025)

the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM): Land Component (combat, combat support, and combat service support divided into three regiments), Maritime Squadron, Air Wing; Volunteer Reserve Force (2025)

18-30 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription (2026)

the military has a small inventory of armaments from a mix of European countries, particularly Italy, and the US (2025)

approximately 2,000 active Armed Forces of Malta (2025)