Country import demand

Malta
import demand

A reported view of Malta's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

MLT1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest imports$19.6B2024 reported
Import growth+39.3%Year on year
Population568.8KReported population
GDP per capita$43.9KCurrent-dollar GDP
Trade openness147.6%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Malta import?

In 2024, Malta recorded $19.6B in reported imports. Imports changed +39.3% year on year and +2.2% annualized over three years. Mineral fuels was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$15.6B
2014
$16.9B
2015
$16.1B
2016
$13.0B
2017
$14.3B
2018
$16.4B
2019
$15.8B
2020
$13.6B
2021
$18.4B
2022
$17.5B
2023
$14.1B
2024
$19.6B

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$25.0B2024 macro context
GDP growth8.9%Five-year CAGR
Population growth2.5%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate22.5%National rate
Savings rate34.7%National rate
Trade openness147.6%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Malta
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Mineral fuelsHS2 27$3.3B16.6%7743
2Electrical machineryHS2 85$1.2B6%108261
3Pharmaceutical productsHS2 30$559.8M2.9%9542
4Ships and boatsHS2 89$7.2B36.6%5018
5Printed books and newspapersHS2 49$108.7M0.6%11319
6MachineryHS2 84$717.4M3.7%107515
7Fish and crustaceansHS2 03$153.7M0.8%53204
8Optical and medical instrumentsHS2 90$151.1M0.8%101142
9AircraftHS2 88$702.6M3.6%6415
10Toys and sports equipmentHS2 95$62.1M0.3%9231

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration444.3Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share28.2%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets108Reported count
Average distance6,506 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceMacro trend resilientCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3MLT
Exports Usd$6.7B
Imports Usd$19.6B
Trade Balance Usd-$12.9B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct-8.8%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct39.3%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct11.1%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct2.2%
Export Partner Hhi444.3
Export Product Hhi894.3
Momentum Score-2.8
Risk Score6.7
Gdp Million Usd24,971.6 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$43.9K
Population568,847
Labor Force211.6
Investment Rate Pct22.5%
Savings Rate Pct34.7%
Secondary Education Pct92.8%
Tertiary Education Pct18.2%
Total Factor Productivity2,229.2
Trade Openness Pct147.6%
Exports Gdp Pct37.5%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners108
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners0%
Num Shared Language Partners77%
Avg Partner Distance Km6,506 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta40
Pct Partners Shared Language28.5%
Pct Partners Shared Border0%
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp0.1
Avg Distance All Partners Km6,509 km
Num Border Partners0
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-9.9
Pct Products High Elasticity73.5
Pct Products Low Elasticity3.1
Real Market Potential108,650.9
Foreign Market Potential24,516.2

Supplier context

Country Iso3MLT
All History Lane Count5,280
Current Lane Count1,525
Critical Lane Count6
High Attention Lane Count168
High Volatility Lane Count830
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count509
Declining Demand Lane Count11
Concentrated Market Lane Count468
Access Friction Lane Count124
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count146
Monitored Exports Current Usd$6.0B
Attention Exports Usd$2.6B
Critical Exports Usd$829.6M
High Volatility Exports Usd$3.3B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$1.6B
Non Fta Exports Usd$2.3B
Monitored Attention Share Pct42.8%
Monitored Critical Share Pct13.8%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct61%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.3
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct26.9%
Export Weighted Distance Km4,242 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$6.7B
Total Imports Latest Usd$19.6B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$12.9B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct-8.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct11.1%
Gdp Latest Million Usd24,971.6 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$43.9K
Population Latest568,847
Investment Rate Latest Pct22.5%
Savings Rate Latest Pct34.7%
Trade Openness Latest Pct147.6%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct37.5%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest108
Foreign Market Potential Latest24,516.2
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct8.9%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct6.2%
Population 5y Cagr Pct2.5%
Partner Hhi Latest444.3
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct12%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct28.2%
Partner Hhi All Avg696.9
Partner Hhi All Max1,379.7
Product Hhi Latest894.3
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct23.3%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct44.8%
Product Hhi All Avg1,206
Product Hhi All Max2,462.4
Total Exports Attention Share Pct38.4%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct12.4%
Attention LevelHigh attention
Primary Risk DriverHigh trade volatility
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$3.7B$1.7B-$2.0B+0%
1996$3.2B$1.7B-$1.5B-12%
1997$3.1B$1.7B-$1.4B-4.7%
1998$3.5B$2.0B-$1.5B+13.7%
1999$3.8B$2.1B-$1.7B+8.4%
2000$4.7B$2.6B-$2.1B+23%
2001$4.3B$2.4B-$1.9B-8.8%
2002$4.5B$2.6B-$1.9B+6.3%
2003$4.9B$3.0B-$1.9B+8.5%
2004$5.6B$3.5B-$2.2B+14.5%
2005$5.4B$3.4B-$1.9B-4.9%
2006$6.9B$4.1B-$2.8B+28.6%
2007$8.0B$4.8B-$3.1B+15.8%
2008$11.8B$6.7B-$5.1B+48%
2009$9.8B$3.9B-$5.9B-17.1%
2010$12.4B$4.9B-$7.5B+26.6%
2011$15.9B$6.3B-$9.6B+28.1%
2012$15.8B$6.6B-$9.3B-0.3%
2013$15.6B$6.5B-$9.1B-1.6%
2014$16.9B$6.0B-$11.0B+8.8%
2015$16.1B$5.0B-$11.1B-5.2%
2016$13.0B$5.4B-$7.6B-19.2%
2017$14.3B$4.5B-$9.8B+10.1%
2018$16.4B$4.8B-$11.6B+14.7%
2019$15.8B$4.6B-$11.2B-3.7%
2020$13.6B$3.8B-$9.8B-14%
2021$18.4B$4.9B-$13.5B+35.5%
2022$17.5B$4.7B-$12.7B-5.1%
2023$14.1B$7.3B-$6.8B-19.3%
2024$19.6B$6.7B-$12.9B+39.3%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
127Mineral fuels$3.3B16.6%7743
285Electrical machinery$1.2B6%108261
330Pharmaceutical products$559.8M2.9%9542
489Ships and boats$7.2B36.6%5018
549Printed books and newspapers$108.7M0.6%11319
684Machinery$717.4M3.7%107515
703Fish and crustaceans$153.7M0.8%53204
890Optical and medical instruments$151.1M0.8%101142
988Aircraft$702.6M3.6%6415
1095Toys and sports equipment$62.1M0.3%9231

Questions about this profile

Malta import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Malta import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Malta.

What is the latest reported import value for Malta?

Malta recorded $19.6B in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Malta's imports?

Mineral fuels leads by reported import value at $3.3B.

How many years of Malta import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

Continue your research

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.