Summary
- Exports
- $7.5billion
- Imports
- $15.7billion
- Trade balance
- -$8.2billion
Products
What it exports
Refined petroleum (24.8%) and microchips (19.6%) together make up 44.4% of its exports.
What it imports
Cargo and cruise ships (32.5%) and refined petroleum (9.4%) together make up 41.9% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $2 billion | $2.3 billion |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $1.8 billion | $1.2 billion |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $783 million | $524 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $429 million | $6.4 billion |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $336 million | $28 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $275 million | $808 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $268 million | $576 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $203 million | $121 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $170 million | $49 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $168 million | $137 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $154 million | $237 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $142 million | $115 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $105 million | $76 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $72 million | $117 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $60 million | $47 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $52 million | $56 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $37 million | $118 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $36 million | $420 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $32 million | $112 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $29 million | $839 thousand |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $27 million | $178 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $23 million | $93 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $21 million | $148 million |
| 74 · Copper | $20 million | $38 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $16 million | $17 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $16 million | $123 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $15 million | $12 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $15 million | $39 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $14 million | $46 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $11 million | $75 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $11 million | $106 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $10 million | $35 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $10 million | $70 million |
| 70 · Glass | $10 million | $27 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $9 million | $105 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $9 million | $15 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $9 million | $42 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $8 million | $9 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $7 million | $367 thousand |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $5 million | $48 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $5 million | $47 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $4 million | $28 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $4 million | $81 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $4 million | $38 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $4 million | $93 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $3 million | $41 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $2 million | $25 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $2 million | $15 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $2 million | $12 million |
| 44 · Wood | $2 million | $37 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $2 million | $27 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $1 million | $7 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $1 million | $24 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $1 million | $43 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $990 thousand | $72 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $943 thousand | $55 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $877 thousand | $531 thousand |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $825 thousand | $10 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $650 thousand | $32 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $647 thousand | $81 million |
| 80 · Tin | $628 thousand | $373 thousand |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $621 thousand | $63 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $577 thousand | $28 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $535 thousand | $2 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $467 thousand | $3 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $440 thousand | $7 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $428 thousand | $3 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $411 thousand | $971 thousand |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $380 thousand | $39 million |
| 78 · Lead | $329 thousand | $155 thousand |
| 50 · Silk | $318 thousand | $272 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $299 thousand | $3 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $225 thousand | $46 million |
| 51 · Wool | $201 thousand | $167 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $169 thousand | $7 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $167 thousand | $4 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $163 thousand | $3 million |
| 65 · Hats | $148 thousand | $5 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $144 thousand | $686 thousand |
| 52 · Cotton | $124 thousand | $775 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $111 thousand | $1 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $85 thousand | $2 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $76 thousand | $340 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $63 thousand | $2 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $59 thousand | $2 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $56 thousand | $2 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $39 thousand | $530 thousand |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $34 thousand | $7 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $32 thousand | $8 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $30 thousand | $958 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $26 thousand | $2 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $8 thousand | $541 thousand |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $6 thousand | $218 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $4 thousand | $286 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $3 thousand | $1 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $1 thousand | $83 thousand |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Germany (11.8% of exports) and its main source is China (21.2% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 882 | 11.8% | Air |
| Nigeria | 818 | 10.9% | Sea |
| Greece | 370 | 5% | Sea |
| United States | 351 | 4.7% | Air |
| Italy | 338 | 4.5% | Sea |
| South Korea | 316 | 4.2% | Air |
| China | 299 | 4% | Air |
| Singapore | 276 | 3.7% | Air |
| Spain | 237 | 3.2% | Sea |
| Hong Kong | 217 | 2.9% | Air |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 3.3 | 21.2% | Sea |
| South Korea | 2.3 | 14.7% | Sea |
| Italy | 2.1 | 13.4% | Sea |
| France | 1.3 | 8.5% | Sea |
| Spain | 0.78 | 5% | Sea |
| Germany | 0.67 | 4.3% | Air |
| United Kingdom | 0.46 | 2.9% | Sea |
| Turkey | 0.39 | 2.5% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 0.39 | 2.5% | Sea |
| United States | 0.34 | 2.1% | Air |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Malta accounted for 0.03% of world exports, compared with 0.05% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports tripled since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 7.5
- Imports 15.7
- Balance -8.2
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $2.4 billion | $3.6 billion | -$1.2 billion |
| 1996 | $2 billion | $3.3 billion | -$1.3 billion |
| 1997 | $1.8 billion | $3.2 billion | -$1.3 billion |
| 1998 | $2.1 billion | $3.8 billion | -$1.7 billion |
| 1999 | $2.1 billion | $4 billion | -$1.9 billion |
| 2000 | $2.6 billion | $4.7 billion | -$2.1 billion |
| 2001 | $2.7 billion | $4.2 billion | -$1.6 billion |
| 2002 | $3.2 billion | $4.4 billion | -$1.2 billion |
| 2003 | $3.6 billion | $4.7 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2004 | $4.3 billion | $5.8 billion | -$1.5 billion |
| 2005 | $3.7 billion | $5.5 billion | -$1.8 billion |
| 2006 | $4.4 billion | $7.1 billion | -$2.8 billion |
| 2007 | $5.8 billion | $7.7 billion | -$1.9 billion |
| 2008 | $8.8 billion | $10.2 billion | -$1.4 billion |
| 2009 | $5.1 billion | $9.5 billion | -$4.4 billion |
| 2010 | $6.1 billion | $10.4 billion | -$4.3 billion |
| 2011 | $7 billion | $13.2 billion | -$6.1 billion |
| 2012 | $7 billion | $13.4 billion | -$6.4 billion |
| 2013 | $7 billion | $11.4 billion | -$4.4 billion |
| 2014 | $6.5 billion | $12.8 billion | -$6.3 billion |
| 2015 | $5.5 billion | $13.4 billion | -$7.9 billion |
| 2016 | $6 billion | $13 billion | -$7 billion |
| 2017 | $4.9 billion | $14.3 billion | -$9.4 billion |
| 2018 | $5.4 billion | $11.8 billion | -$6.4 billion |
| 2019 | $5 billion | $11.5 billion | -$6.5 billion |
| 2020 | $4.5 billion | $10.5 billion | -$6.1 billion |
| 2021 | $5.9 billion | $13.9 billion | -$8 billion |
| 2022 | $5.6 billion | $14.3 billion | -$8.7 billion |
| 2023 | $8.6 billion | $11.3 billion | -$2.8 billion |
| 2024 | $7.5 billion | $15.7 billion | -$8.2 billion |
World rank
Malta fell from 85th to 117th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 85th in 1995
- 117th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 85th |
| 1996 | 94th |
| 1997 | 101st |
| 1998 | 93rd |
| 1999 | 92nd |
| 2000 | 96th |
| 2001 | 93rd |
| 2002 | 89th |
| 2003 | 91st |
| 2004 | 92nd |
| 2005 | 105th |
| 2006 | 103rd |
| 2007 | 100th |
| 2008 | 93rd |
| 2009 | 105th |
| 2010 | 104th |
| 2011 | 104th |
| 2012 | 103rd |
| 2013 | 105th |
| 2014 | 109th |
| 2015 | 110th |
| 2016 | 104th |
| 2017 | 118th |
| 2018 | 119th |
| 2019 | 121st |
| 2020 | 121st |
| 2021 | 117th |
| 2022 | 124th |
| 2023 | 111th |
| 2024 | 117th |
What it sells
Oil, gas and coal became its top export group: from 5% to 27%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 18%
- Fish and seafood 3%
- Mechanical machinery 4%
- Aircraft and spacecraft 4%
- Books and printed matter 4%
- Ships and boats 6%
- Pharmaceuticals 10%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 24%
- Oil, gas and coal 27%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Oil, gas and coal | 4.6% | 27.1% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 53.2% | 24% |
| Pharmaceuticals | 0.34% | 10.5% |
| Ships and boats | 2.8% | 5.7% |
| Books and printed matter | 2.3% | 4.5% |
| Aircraft and spacecraft | 3% | 3.7% |
| Mechanical machinery | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Fish and seafood | 0.38% | 2.7% |
| Other | 29.9% | 18.4% |
Who it trades with
Italy went from 27% to 11% of Malta's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- China 16%
- South Korea 11%
- Italy 11%
- Germany 7%
- France 6%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 0.96% | 15.7% |
| South Korea | 2.7% | 11.3% |
| Italy | 27.4% | 10.5% |
| Germany | 11.3% | 6.7% |
| France | 9% | 6.4% |
Production hubs
Sources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.