Labour dependency ratio in Malta
Malta: Labour dependency ratio was 0.853 in 2027. ▼ Falling
Labour dependency ratio in Malta, 1991–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, labour dependency ratio in Malta stood at 0.853.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour dependency ratio in Malta peaked at 1.79 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.848, in 2025.
Malta ranks 169th of 188 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Labour dependency ratio in Malta, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.79 | — |
| 1992 | 1.77 | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 1.76 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 1.76 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 1.74 | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 1.72 | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.7 | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 1.68 | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.66 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 1.68 | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 1.66 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.65 | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 1.66 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 1.72 | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 1.67 | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.64 | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 1.58 | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 1.54 | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 1.54 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 1.5 | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.44 | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 1.37 | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 1.3 | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 1.25 | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 1.22 | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 1.16 | -4.5% |
| 2017 | 1.1 | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 1.04 | -5.8% |
| 2019 | 1 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 0.973 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 0.918 | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 0.865 | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 0.856 | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 0.849 | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 0.848 | -0.1% |
| 2026 | 0.849 | +0.1% |
| 2027 | 0.853 | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.73 | 1.66 | 1.79 | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.63 | 1.54 | 1.72 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.24 | 1 | 1.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8764 | 0.848 | 0.973 | 8 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 166 Switzerland 0.878 compare
- 166 Peru 0.878 compare
- 168 Solomon Islands 0.87 compare
- 170 Netherlands 0.834 compare
- 171 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.823 compare
- 172 New Zealand 0.821 compare
More work & labour data for Malta
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.8118 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7863 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.8415 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.79 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.2041 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 404.95 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14.3 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 168.51 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 191.42 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 359.93 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour dependency ratio in Malta?
- Labour dependency ratio in Malta was 0.853 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour dependency ratio recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 1.79 in 1991.
- What is the lowest labour dependency ratio recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.848 in 2025.
- How does Malta rank for labour dependency ratio?
- Malta ranks 169th out of 188 countries with data for 2027.
- Is labour dependency ratio rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. This indicator provides the ratio of dependents (persons aged 0 to 14 + persons aged 15 and above that are either outside the labour force or unemployed) to total employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.