Malta: Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 2.63 percentage points from 21.65% in 2010. Since 1973 it is down 10.56 percentage points from 34.83% in 1973. The World Bank has no value for 12 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2015, Malta's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) rose 3.26 percentage points on 2014 (from 21.02% to 24.27%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2014), the average change was −0.55 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.94 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.86 percentage points in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2007 to 2015 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2015, Malta had the 12th highest value of the 12 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Malta in the 2015 ranking

• Portugal — 8th of 12: 28.96%
• Ethiopia — 9th of 12: 27.45%
• Brazil — 10th of 12: 25.62%
• Ecuador — 12th of 12: 23.26%

What this measures

Expenditure on primary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Limitations: Data disaggregated by level of education are estimates in some instances. It is often difficult to separate lower from upper secondary education expenditure, or pre-primary from primary.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 31 values

Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 44.19% (2017)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 33.07% (2018)
• Israel — 38.91% (2016)
• Pakistan — 31.05% (2015)

More education data for Malta

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 27,337 (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 32,424 (2023)
• Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) — 39.03% (2024)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 112.49% (2020)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, preprimary, female (% gross) — 112.49% (2020)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Malta's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education)?

24.27% in 2015, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1973?

It is down 10.56 percentage points from 34.83% in 1973. The highest value was 34.83% in 1973 and the lowest 14.79% in 2011.

How does Malta rank?

12th highest of 12 economies with data for 2015.

Is the latest change in expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) unusual for Malta?

In 2015, Malta's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) rose 3.26 percentage points on 2014 (from 21.02% to 24.27%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2014), the average change was −0.55 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.PRIM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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