Largest market shown
Vessels: n.e.s. in heading no. 8901, for the transport of goods and other vessels for the transport of both persons and goods
$4.2B of latest reported imports and $4.2B of calculated three-year opportunity.
Importer opportunity guide
Malta import opportunities
where to source next
Explore Malta's import market by product, supplier concentration, demand growth, and sourcing gaps. Use reported market size and calculated indicators to decide where deeper supplier research may be useful.
Latest imports$19.6B2024 reported value
Import CAGR+2.2%Three-year reported change
GDP$25.0BLatest reported value
GDP per capita$43.9KLatest reported value
Trade openness147.6%Reported share of GDP
Malta import opportunities
What makes this an attractive import market?
Compare market size and growth with supplier concentration. A large market may still need product, quality, tariff, logistics, and buyer validation.
Current import base
$19.6B in imports
Malta recorded $19.6B in imports in 2024, with a three-year change of +2.2%.
How to use the guide
Compare demand with supply
Start with the highest-value products, then review supplier concentration and market conditions before choosing a sourcing route.
Import market overview
Find products where demand and sourcing options meet
This page separates reported import observations from calculated indicators so market size is not mistaken for a guaranteed sourcing opportunity.
Malta imports products from suppliers across major trade regions. The current profile reports $19.6B of imports in 2024, while the opportunity view highlights product and supplier combinations where market demand and supply context may justify further research.
Use the opportunity table to compare product market size, demand growth, supplier counts, concentration, and projected imports. High concentration can indicate reliance on a small supplier base; it can also reflect specialized products that require careful validation.
Top import opportunities
Products and supplier context to review
The top 50 screened products are ranked by calculated three-year opportunity. Reported market values and calculated indicators are labeled separately.
| Rank | Product | Market size | Demand growth | Suppliers | Concentration | Top supplier | Projected imports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HS 890190Vessels: n.e.s. in heading no. 8901, for the transport of goods and other vessels for the transport of both persons and goods | $4.2BLatest imports | +14.4% | 7 | 5241 | CHNDeclining | $6.3B |
| 2 | HS 999999Commodities not specified according to kind | $1.8BLatest imports | +13.3% | 3 | 9958 | SGPDeclining | $2.6B |
| 3 | HS 890110Cruise ships, excursion boats and similar vessels, principally designed for the transport of persons, ferry boats of all kinds | $1.2BLatest imports | +14.1% | 5 | 9673 | FRADeclining | $1.8B |
| 4 | HS 890590Vessels: light, fire-floats, floating cranes and other vessels, the navigability of which is subsidiary to their main function, floating docks | $535.1MLatest imports | +21.1% | 5 | 9957 | KORDeclining | $949.8M |
| 5 | HS 271019Product description unavailable | $2.2BLatest imports | +6.4% | 66 | 1198 | ITADeclining | $2.7B |
| 6 | HS 890120Tankers | $421.4MLatest imports | +2.8% | 6 | 8934 | KORDeclining | $457.6M |
| 7 | HS 890392Motorboats: (other than outboard motorboats), for pleasure or sports, other than inflatable | $571.9MLatest imports | +14.7% | 25 | 2508 | ITADeclining | $862.1M |
| 8 | HS 300490Medicaments: consisting of mixed or unmixed products n.e.s. in heading no. 3004, for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, packaged for retail sale | $386.7MLatest imports | +11.4% | 86 | 2536 | INDDeclining | $534.6M |
| 9 | HS 880240Aeroplanes and other aircraft: of an unladen weight exceeding 15,000kg | $581.5MLatest imports | +9.4% | 10 | 2266 | USAGrowing | $760.6M |
| 10 | HS 854231Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits | $450.0MLatest imports | -0.0% | 49 | 3540 | FRAGrowing | $449.5M |
| 11 | HS 271111Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: liquefied, natural gas | $163.7MLatest imports | +60.1% | 7 | 5200 | CHNDeclining | $319.7M |
| 12 | HS 271600Electrical energy | $98.9MLatest imports | +65.9% | 2 | 9979 | ITADeclining | $193.1M |
| 13 | HS 271119Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: liquefied, n.e.c. in heading no. 2711 | $104.2MLatest imports | +12.5% | 9 | 9989 | LBYDeclining | $148.3M |
| 14 | HS 490700Unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new issue in the country in which they have, or will have, a recognised face value: stamp-impressed paper: cheque forms: banknotes, stock, share or bond certificates and the like of similar title | $78.7MLatest imports | +20.0% | 33 | 9959 | GBRDeclining | $136.1M |
| 15 | HS 270799Oils and other products of the distillation of high temperature coal tar: n.e.s. in heading no. 2707 | $202.9MLatest imports | +52.5% | 11 | 2495 | SWEDeclining | $396.3M |
| 16 | HS 271020Product description unavailable | $183.5MLatest imports | +5.2% | 15 | 4855 | ISRDeclining | $213.4M |
| 17 | HS 270750Aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures: n.e.c. in heading no. 2707, of which 65% or more by volume (including losses) distils at 250 degrees Celsius by the ISO 3405 method (equivalent to the ASTM D 86 method) | $58.3MLatest imports | +27.9% | 6 | 9987 | TURDeclining | $113.8M |
| 18 | HS 890690Vessels: other, including lifeboats other than rowing boats, other than warships | $63.8MLatest imports | +15.8% | 11 | 8419 | ITADeclining | $99.1M |
| 19 | HS 890391Sailboats: with or without auxiliary motor, for pleasure or sports, other than inflatable | $158.9MLatest imports | +15.6% | 15 | 1548 | GBRGrowing | $245.2M |
| 20 | HS 710813Metals: gold, semi-manufactured | $59.0MLatest imports | +5.7% | 14 | 9028 | AREDeclining | $69.8M |
| 21 | HS 848790Machinery parts: not containing electrical connectors, insulators, coils, contacts or other electrical features, n.e.c. in chapter 84 | $45.2MLatest imports | +13.9% | 41 | 8014 | CHNDeclining | $66.9M |
| 22 | HS 481159Paper and paperboard: coated, impregnated or covered with plastics (excluding adhesives), other than bleached and weighing more than 150g/m2, other than goods of heading no. 4803, 4809, or 4810 | $42.3MLatest imports | +8.1% | 18 | 9619 | SWEDeclining | $53.5M |
| 23 | HS 270900Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude | $51.8MLatest imports | +0.6% | 7 | 9601 | ESPDeclining | $52.8M |
| 24 | HS 030351Fish: frozen, herrings (Clupea harengus, Clupea pallasii), excluding fillets, fish meat of 0304, and edible fish offal of subheadings 0303.91 to 0303.99 | $33.1MLatest imports | +44.1% | 9 | 6160 | NLDGrowing | $64.6M |
| 25 | HS 870380Vehicles: with only electric motor for propulsion | $68.6MLatest imports | +38.5% | 21 | 1837 | DEUGrowing | $134.1M |
| 26 | HS 300215Blood, human or animal, antisera, other blood fractions and immunological products: immunological products, put up in measured doses or in forms or packings for retail sale | $43.4MLatest imports | +13.9% | 27 | 4903 | CHEDeclining | $64.1M |
| 27 | HS 321519Ink: for printing, other than black, whether or not concentrated or solid | $61.4MLatest imports | +8.6% | 33 | 4415 | FRADeclining | $78.6M |
| 28 | HS 853400Circuits: printed | $57.3MLatest imports | +11.6% | 47 | 3181 | KORDeclining | $79.6M |
| 29 | HS 730890Iron or steel: structures and parts thereof, n.e.s. in heading no. 7308 | $47.4MLatest imports | +9.7% | 44 | 4533 | CHNDeclining | $62.6M |
| 30 | HS 271012Product description unavailable | $137.7MLatest imports | +2.5% | 31 | 1522 | ITAGrowing | $148.1M |
| 31 | HS 711319Jewellery: of precious metal (excluding silver) whether or not plated or clad with precious metal, and parts thereof | $44.0MLatest imports | +1.2% | 47 | 6645 | ITASlowing | $45.7M |
| 32 | HS 190590Food preparations: bakers' wares n.e.c. in heading no. 1605, whether or not containing cocoa: communion wafers, empty cachets suitable for pharmaceutical use, sealing wafers, rice papers and similar products | $49.3MLatest imports | +9.9% | 68 | 3284 | ITADeclining | $65.3M |
| 33 | HS 382499Chemical products, mixtures and preparations: n.e.c. heading 3824 | $30.5MLatest imports | +59.3% | 49 | 3591 | ISRDeclining | $59.5M |
| 34 | HS 851712Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks | $62.3MLatest imports | +12.1% | 50 | 2387 | FRADeclining | $87.8M |
| 35 | HS 854470Insulated electric conductors: optical fibre cables | $25.9MLatest imports | +11.6% | 37 | 8150 | FRADeclining | $36.0M |
| 36 | HS 940340Furniture: wooden, for kitchen use | $22.6MLatest imports | +14.5% | 25 | 8174 | ITADeclining | $33.8M |
| 37 | HS 870340Vehicles: with both spark-ignition internal combustion piston engine and electric motor for propulsion, incapable of being charged by plugging to external source of electric power | $37.4MLatest imports | +33.3% | 22 | 2715 | DEUGrowing | $73.0M |
| 38 | HS 880330Aircraft and spacecraft: parts of aeroplanes or helicopters n.e.c. in heading no. 8803 | $84.6MLatest imports | +7.0% | 57 | 1393 | USADeclining | $103.7M |
| 39 | HS 030194Fish: live, Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tunas (Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus orientalis) | $52.1MLatest imports | +14.1% | 6 | 2270 | TUNAccelerating | $77.4M |
| 40 | HS 840710Engines: for aircraft, spark-ignition reciprocating or rotary internal combustion piston engines | $15.6MLatest imports | +21.3% | 7 | 9293 | SAUDeclining | $27.8M |
| 41 | HS 851762Communication apparatus (excluding telephone sets or base stations): machines for the reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data, including switching and routing apparatus | $42.0MLatest imports | +12.9% | 60 | 2337 | FRAStable | $60.4M |
| 42 | HS 300410Medicaments: containing penicillins, streptomycins or their derivatives, for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, packaged for retail sale | $23.7MLatest imports | +7.7% | 22 | 7944 | INDDeclining | $29.6M |
| 43 | HS 841112Turbo-jets: of a thrust exceeding 25kN | $22.2MLatest imports | +4.9% | 5 | 9524 | GBRSlowing | $25.7M |
| 44 | HS 940360Furniture: wooden, other than for office, kitchen or bedroom use | $32.6MLatest imports | +8.7% | 61 | 3679 | ITADeclining | $41.9M |
| 45 | HS 721420Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, containing indentations, ribs, grooves or other deformations produced during the rolling process or twisted after rolling | $26.7MLatest imports | +9.9% | 10 | 5462 | ITAStable | $35.5M |
| 46 | HS 870360Vehicles: with both spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine and electric motor for propulsion, capable of being charged by plugging to external source of electric power | $27.6MLatest imports | +37.6% | 19 | 3377 | GBRGrowing | $53.9M |
| 47 | HS 240220Cigarettes: containing tobacco | $30.6MLatest imports | +9.4% | 20 | 3892 | GRCDeclining | $40.1M |
| 48 | HS 120190Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken | $12.0MLatest imports | +37.4% | 14 | 9798 | UKRSlowing | $23.5M |
| 49 | HS 120510Oil seeds: low erucic acid rape or colza seeds, whether or not broken | $11.9MLatest imports | +27.8% | 4 | 9970 | UKRDeclining | $23.2M |
| 50 | HS 252329Cement: portland, other than white, whether or not artificially coloured | $33.8MLatest imports | +6.0% | 8 | 4675 | ITASlowing | $40.2M |
Showing the five highest-ranked products on mobile. View the complete import opportunity data.
Product sectors
Which sectors carry the most demand?
HS2 sectors group the screened products into broader families for an easier first comparison.
| Sector | Products | Market size | Opportunity | Average growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShipsHS2 89 | 7 | $7.2B | $7.9B | +14.1% |
| HS2 sector 99HS2 99 | 1 | $1.8B | $2.6B | +13.3% |
| Mineral fuelsHS2 27 | 6 | $679.7M | $850.4M | +36.6% |
| HS2 sector 00HS2 00 | 3 | $2.5B | $673.8M | +4.7% |
| Electrical equipmentHS2 85 | 5 | $637.5M | $375.0M | +9.6% |
| Pharmaceutical productsHS2 30 | 3 | $453.8M | $329.6M | +11.0% |
| AircraftHS2 88 | 2 | $666.1M | $283.0M | +8.2% |
| Printed matterHS2 49 | 1 | $78.7M | $135.8M | +20.0% |
| MachineryHS2 84 | 3 | $83.1M | $111.7M | +13.4% |
| Precious stones and metalsHS2 71 | 2 | $103.1M | $103.4M | +3.5% |
| VehiclesHS2 87 | 3 | $133.6M | $100.5M | +36.5% |
| Fish and crustaceansHS2 03 | 2 | $85.1M | $76.8M | +29.1% |
Supply gaps
Where supplier concentration deserves attention
The concentration index helps identify products where reported imports rely more heavily on a smaller supplier base. It is a screening signal, not a recommendation by itself.
| Product | Market size | Suppliers | Concentration | Top supplier | Share gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HS 271119Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: liquefied, n.e.c. in heading no. 2711 | $104.2M | 9 | 9989 | LBY | 99.9% |
| HS 270750Aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures: n.e.c. in heading no. 2707, of which 65% or more by volume (including losses) distils at 250 degrees Celsius by the ISO 3405 method (equivalent to the ASTM D 86 method) | $58.3M | 6 | 9987 | TUR | 99.9% |
| HS 271600Electrical energy | $98.9M | 2 | 9979 | ITA | 99.9% |
| HS 120510Oil seeds: low erucic acid rape or colza seeds, whether or not broken | $11.9M | 4 | 9970 | UKR | 99.9% |
| HS 490700Unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new issue in the country in which they have, or will have, a recognised face value: stamp-impressed paper: cheque forms: banknotes, stock, share or bond certificates and the like of similar title | $78.7M | 33 | 9959 | GBR | 99.8% |
| HS 999999Commodities not specified according to kind | $1.8B | 3 | 9958 | SGP | 99.8% |
| HS 890590Vessels: light, fire-floats, floating cranes and other vessels, the navigability of which is subsidiary to their main function, floating docks | $535.1M | 5 | 9957 | KOR | 99.8% |
| HS 120190Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken | $12.0M | 14 | 9798 | UKR | 99.0% |
Supplier landscape
Which supplier markets appear most often?
These supplier names come from the leading peer signal in the screened opportunity rows and should be validated at product level.
CHN
China
4 screened products
$4.5BCalculated opportunity across these rowsSGP
Singapore
1 screened products
$2.6BCalculated opportunity across these rowsFRA
France
6 screened products
$2.1BCalculated opportunity across these rowsKOR
Republic of Korea
3 screened products
$1.4BCalculated opportunity across these rowsITA
Italy
11 screened products
$1.4BCalculated opportunity across these rowsIND
India
2 screened products
$285.6MCalculated opportunity across these rowsUSA
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands
2 screened products
$283.0MCalculated opportunity across these rowsGBR
United Kingdom
4 screened products
$257.9MCalculated opportunity across these rowsFrequently asked questions
Using the Malta import opportunity index
Definitions and practical guidance for interpreting market size, growth, suppliers, and concentration.
What are the import opportunities?
They are product and supplier combinations in Malta's screened import market with substantial reported demand and calculated opportunity indicators. They are research priorities, not guaranteed savings or supply contracts.
What does supplier concentration mean?
The concentration index indicates how much reported imports rely on a smaller supplier base. A high value can suggest supply dependence, but it can also reflect specialized products or limited reporting.
How should sourcing teams use this page?
Start with products that fit your specification and volume needs, then validate suppliers, tariffs, standards, logistics, pricing, and continuity for Malta.
Data source
OECD trade statistics with CEPII context
OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-30). 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.