Country
Location: Southern Europe
Official Name: Republic of Malta
Area: 316 km2
Shoreline Malta: 200 km
Shoreline Gozo and Comino: 71.2 km
Population: 434,403
Maltese: 94%
Foreign: 6%
Malta's economy in 2017
|
GDP growth (%) |
+5.4 |
|
Inflation (%) |
1.8
|
|
Unemployment rate (%) |
3.9 |
|
Surplus (%) |
1.3 |
|
Debt to GDP (%) |
47.9 |
|
|
Source: European Economic Forecast, Autumn 2018
Source: Winter 2018 Economic Forecast
Selected Sector Rankings
|
Soundness of banks |
16th |
|
FDI and Technology Transfer |
21st |
|
Strength of auditing and reporting standards |
15th |
|
Country capacity to attract talent |
21st |
|
Quality of the education system |
19th |
|
Affordability of financial services |
30th |
|
Transparency of government policy making |
30th |
Source: World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Index 2016-2017
Key Facts
|
Days of sunshine a year |
300 |
|
Temperature Average
Winter Summer |
12 C° 31 C° |
|
Annual rainfall |
600mm |
|
Languages |
Maltese & English |
|
Time |
GMT+1 |
|
Currency |
Euro |
|
International Dialling Code |
+356 |
|
Religion |
Roman Catholic |
Corporate, Taxation & Sovereign Ratings
|
Double Taxation Treaties |
70+ |
|
Accounting Standards |
IFRS |
|
Corporate Tax |
35% |
|
Fiscal Year |
Calendar Year |
|
Sovereign Ratings |
A/F1 (Fitch, 2016) A3 (Moody’s, 2016) A-/A-2 (Standard & Poor’s, 2017) |
Main towns by population:
Birkirkara: 21,889
Mosta: 19,795
St Paul’s Bay: 17,443
Qormi: 16,443
Sliema: 14,189
Zabbar: 14,844
Valletta (Capital): 5,700
Malta International Airport, Luqa
Major Airlines flying to the country
- Air Malta
- Ryanair
- Alitalia
- easyJet
- Wizz
- Emirates
- Lufthansa
- Vueling
- Turkish Airlines
- British Airways
Malta International Airport is the island’s only airport and is located between the villages of Luqa and Gudja, some 10 kilometres away from Valletta.
St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is Malta’s capital city, which was built by the Knights of St John in the 16th century. While it has long been the country’s political centre and a must-see destination for history lovers, many new bars, restaurants and boutique hotels have brought a hip vibe to the city that is set to lure more visitors when Valletta takes over the role of European Capital of Culture in 2018.
Sliema/St. Julian's
Sliema and St Julian’s were once just small fishing villages, but now host many five-star hotels, apartment complexes and shopping outlets. Both villages are connected via a long and winding coastal promenade overlooking rocky beaches, play grounds and gardens. While St Julian’s adjoins the small nightlife enclave of Paceville, Sliema is a also a popular place to live for the island’s expat community.
Balluta Bay
Gozo
Gozo is Malta’s smaller sister island and is home to some 37,000 people. It only takes a short ferry ride of 15 minutes to reach Gozo from Malta. Gozo is more rural and known for its scenic hills, it is also rated as one of the best scuba diving holiday spots in the Mediterranean.
