Malta: Imports of goods and services (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Malta's imports of goods and services (current US$) rose 11.6% on 2024 (from US$24.85 billion to US$27.75 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +7.9% and a typical year strayed about 9.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 44.9% in 1974 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.3% in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$1.6 billion a year. A straight line explains 98% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about US$31.38 billion for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$1.16 billion, against US$3.16 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Malta had the 75th highest value of the 137 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 2025 ranking

• Tunisia — 71st of 137: US$31.51 billion
• Kenya — 72nd of 137: US$29.58 billion
• Azerbaijan — 73rd of 137: US$27.95 billion
• Ethiopia — 75th of 137: US$25.49 billion
• Sri Lanka — 76th of 137: US$24.86 billion
• Côte d'Ivoire — 77th of 137: US$24.72 billion

What this measures

Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Because policymakers have tended to focus on fostering the growth of output, and because data on production are easier to collect than data on spending, many countries generate their primary estimate of GDP using the production approach. Moreover, many countries do not estimate all the components of national expenditures but instead derive some of the main aggregates indirectly using GDP (based on the production approach) as the control total. Data on exports and imports are compiled from customs reports and balance of payments data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 56 values

Imports of goods and services (current US$) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$12.1 billion (2024)
• Algeria — US$63.56 billion (2025)
• Bahrain — US$33.04 billion (2024)
• Djibouti — US$4.43 billion (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$115.11 billion (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — US$125.08 billion (2025)
• Iraq — US$104.52 billion (2024)
• Israel — US$155.33 billion (2025)
• Kuwait — US$61.52 billion (2024)
• Lebanon — US$15.3 billion (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for Malta

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$1.54 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$1.49 billion (2025)
• Other manufacturing (% of value added in manufacturing) — 46.54% (2023)
• Textiles and clothing (% of value added in manufacturing) — 1.23% (2023)
• Chemicals (% of value added in manufacturing) — 6.47% (2023)
• Machinery and transport equipment (% of value added in manufacturing) — 30.86% (2023)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$14.36 billion (2025)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) — 51.71% (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Malta's imports of goods and services (current US$)?

US$27.75 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 15,407% from US$178.92 million in 1970 (9.6% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$27.75 billion in 2025 and the lowest US$178.92 million in 1970.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.IMP.GNFS.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); National Accounts data files, Central Banks; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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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