Malta

Malta

Southern Europe / Mediterranean

EuropeEUSchengen
78
Overall score
Strong overall
Language
English / Maltese
Currency
EUR
Citizenship
5+ years (ordinary route; discretionary)
Personal tax
0–35% (remittance basis for non-doms)
Cost of living
€1,600 / mo (single)

English-speaking EU + Schengen island with a famous corporate-tax-refund system (effective ~5%) and non-dom remittance basis: small, but very business-friendly.

Pros

  • English is official
  • ~5% effective corporate tax via refunds
  • EU + Schengen

Cons

  • High refund-system complexity & substance rules
  • Small island, crowded
  • Slow bureaucracy

Best for

Holding & trading companiesiGaming/fintechNon-dom relocators

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
93
Citizenship
70
Residence
79
Money & business
Taxes
80
Corporate tax
0
Business
49
Investment
60
Economy
90
Wealth building
66
Living, study & work
Education
84
Salary & work
76
Cost of living
64
Buying power
81
Quality of life
Safety
74
Healthcare
90
Infrastructure
80
HDI
92

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Excellent
93

Passport-index style mobility for the Malta passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

185 / 198
Mobility
#10
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free139
  • On arrival38
  • eTA8
  • Visa required13

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Good
70
Years required5+ years ordinary naturalisation (discretionary)
Dual allowedtrue
LanguageMaltese or English knowledge; integration criteria
ResidenceLong legal residence for ordinary naturalisation
NotesThe Court of Justice of the EU ruled Malta's investor-citizenship scheme contrary to EU law on 29 April 2025. Do not treat investment as an available citizenship route.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Good
79
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock37.0% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality0.49 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)Nomad Residence PermitGlobal ResidenceKey Employee
StudentStudent visa; limited work after 90 days of study.
WorkSingle permit / Key Employee Initiative for skilled hires.
Self-employedSelf-employment permit with capital & substance requirements.
PermanentMPRP grants residence via property + government contribution.

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Excellent
80
Personal0–35% progressive; non-doms taxed on remittance basis
Corporate35% headline; 6/7 refund to shareholders → ~5% effective
Capital gainsForeign gains untaxed for non-doms unless remitted
DividendsFull-imputation system; refunds reduce double taxation
Exit taxCorporate exit tax under ATAD; limited for individuals
Foreign cosCFC rules apply (ATAD)
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Limited
36
Personal0–35% progressive; non-doms taxed on remittance basis
FreelanceSelf-employed registration; popular for consultants
Capital gainsForeign gains untaxed for non-doms unless remitted
DividendsFull-imputation system; refunds reduce double taxation
Exit taxCorporate exit tax under ATAD; limited for individuals
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Low
0
Corporate35% headline; 6/7 refund to shareholders → ~5% effective
Capital gainsForeign gains untaxed for non-doms unless remitted
DividendsFull-imputation system; refunds reduce double taxation
Foreign cosCFC rules apply (ATAD)
Business
Business friendliness
Moderate
49
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality0.49 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness0.62 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Yes: full foreign ownership; major holding hub
Local co.Private LTD; €1,165 min capital (20% paid up)
FreelanceSelf-employed registration; popular for consultants
Corporate tax35% headline; 6/7 refund to shareholders → ~5% effective
Capital gainsForeign gains untaxed for non-doms unless remitted
Exit taxCorporate exit tax under ATAD; limited for individuals
Foreign cosCFC rules apply (ATAD)
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Moderate
60
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap17% of GDP (2024)
Private credit62% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gainsNon-doms: foreign gains untaxed unless remitted
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxNone
BrokersGood: EU brokers; established fund industry
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Excellent
90
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$25B (2024)
GDP / person$43,899 (2024)
GNI / person$61,340 PPP (2024)
GDP growth6.8% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation1.7% / yr (2024)
Unemployment2.9% (2025)
Output per worker$115,955 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture0.2% of GDP (2024)
Industry10.7% of GDP (2024)
Services81.8% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
TourismiGamingFinancial servicesMaritime & logisticsElectronics
Top exports
Electronics & semiconductorsServices (gaming, finance, tourism)Refined fuels
TypeHigh-income, services-led
Key sectorsOnline gaming & fintech, Tourism, Maritime registry
SummaryA small island economy specialised in tourism, online gaming and international financial services.
CurrencyEuro (eurozone member)
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Good
66
How this score is calculated

How favourable Malta is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Moderate
56
Business
Moderate
55
Investment
Good
76
Tax friendliness
Excellent
80
Cost of living
Moderate
64

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Excellent
84
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling15.9 years (2023)
Mean schooling12.4 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment81% gross (2023)
Education spending4.7% of GDP (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Tuition€1,000 (EU) – €11,000 (non-EU)
Public uniUniversity of Malta low for EU; English-taught
LanguagesEnglish, Maltese
Student workWork permitted after 90 days of study, ~20 hrs/week
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Good
76
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$115,955 PPP (2024)
Unemployment2.9% (2025)
Participation64.0% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$2,087 · $2,906 PPP (2020)
Tech (IT & comms)$2,695 · $3,754 PPP (2020)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceStrong iGaming, fintech & blockchain sectors
Job marketEnglish-language workplaces; concentrated in gaming/finance.
Cost of living
Affordability
Moderate
64

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level63 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent€900–1,500 (1BR central)
Monthly€1,600
CitiesValletta, Sliema, St Julian's, Gozo
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Excellent
81
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$61,340 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$31,466 PPP (2024)
Price level63 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality31.8 Gini (2023)
Inflation1.7% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Good
74
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate0.6 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law0.73 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption0.27 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability0.80 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Excellent
90
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy83.0 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality5.3 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians4.51 per 1,000 (2022)
Hospital beds4.09 per 1,000 (2022)
Health spending$5,706 PPP / person (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemUniversal public + private
InsurancePublic for contributors; private required for many residence permits
Avg cost€500–1,000 / yr private cover
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Excellent
80
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use93.9% (2024)
Internet resilience55 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed88 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed74 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access100.0% (2023)
Grid losses8.3% of output (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality3.70 / 5 (2022)
Air connectivity28,259 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Excellent
92
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.924 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy83.3 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling15.9 years (2023)
Mean schooling12.4 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$52,155 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.