Malta: Total reserves in months of imports

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Malta's total reserves in months of imports rose 0.9% on 2023 (from 0.24 to 0.25).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −2.2% and a typical year strayed about 31.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 72.1% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 92.5% in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 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 2024, Malta had the 37th highest value of the 36 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 2024 ranking

• Guinea — 33rd of 36: 1.28
• Djibouti — 34th of 36: 0.85
• Zimbabwe — 35th of 36: 0.52

What this measures

Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This item is expressed in terms of the number of months of imports of goods and services they could pay for [X/(Imports/12)].

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

All 54 values

Total reserves in months of imports in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 16.63 (2020)
• Algeria — 11.63 (2025)
• Bahrain — 1.44 (2025)
• Djibouti — 0.85 (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 4.36 (2025)
• Iraq — 11.6 (2025)
• Israel — 14.36 (2025)
• Jordan — 7.79 (2024)
• Kuwait — 8.41 (2025)
• Lebanon — 13.6 (2023)
• Libya — 31.57 (2023)

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
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Questions people ask

What is Malta's total reserves in months of imports?

0.25 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 98.01% from 12.39 in 1971 (7.13% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 17.79 in 1978 and the lowest 0.16 in 2008.

How does Malta rank?

37th highest of 36 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in total reserves in months of imports unusual for Malta?

In 2024, Malta's total reserves in months of imports rose 0.9% on 2023 (from 0.24 to 0.25). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −2.2% and a typical year strayed about 31.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.MO, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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