Official name
Republic of Malta
Repubblika ta’ Malta
Malta Guide · 01
CountryThe Republic of Malta
Malta in context
One of Europe’s smallest states, at the heart of the Mediterranean.
Small enough to cross in an afternoon. Layered enough to spend years understanding.
A country, not just an island
Malta is tiny on a map. It rarely feels insignificant.
The Republic of Malta is a sovereign archipelagic state in the central Mediterranean, centred on Malta, Gozo and the smaller islands around them. Valletta is the capital, Maltese is the national language, and Maltese and English are official languages.
Malta is a parliamentary republic within the European Union, Schengen Area and euro area. Its position between Europe and North Africa, and centuries of movement across the Mediterranean, have shaped the country it is today.
Country profile
Malta at a glance.
The essential facts behind the Republic of Malta.
Capital
Valletta
Malta’s fortified capital city.
Area
316 km²
Among the EU’s smallest member states.
Population
588,254
Estimated resident population at end-2025.
Languages
Maltese & English
Maltese is the national language; both are official.
Currency
Euro (€)
Euro-area member since 1 January 2008.
Government
Republic
With a unicameral House of Representatives.
EU status
Member since 2004
EU since 1 May 2004; Schengen since 2007.
National symbols
White, red and a cross earned in war.
Malta’s national symbols carry its constitutional identity, wartime memory and republican status.
Two vertical fields: white and red.
Malta’s flag has equal white and red vertical fields. The George Cross, awarded to Malta in 1942, appears in the upper corner of the white field.
White, red and the George Cross.
Malta’s flag has equal white and red vertical fields, with the George Cross in the upper corner of the white field.
The emblem of Malta.
The state emblem uses a flag-bearing shield, a mural crown, olive and palm branches, and the words “Repubblika ta’ Malta”.
L-Innu Malti.
The Constitution names L-Innu Malti as Malta’s national anthem. The words are by Dun Karm Psaila and the music by Robert Samut.
How Malta is governed
A parliamentary republic with three branches of state.
Malta separates legislative, executive and judicial authority within a parliamentary republican system.
Legislative
Parliament makes the laws through the House of Representatives, with the President holding a constitutional role in Parliament.
Executive
The Prime Minister and Cabinet direct government and implement laws passed by Parliament.
Judicial
The courts interpret and apply the law independently, with the Constitutional Court handling constitutional matters at the highest level.
Malta’s Constitution entered into force at independence in 1964. It defines the Republic, protects fundamental rights and establishes the principal institutions of state.
Malta & Europe
From independence to the European Union.
The milestones that shaped modern Malta came in quick succession.
1964
Independence
Malta becomes independent on 21 September.
1974
Republic
Malta becomes a republic on 13 December.
2004
European Union
EU membership begins on 1 May.
2007
Schengen
Malta joins the Schengen Area on 21 December.
2008
Euro
The euro becomes Malta’s currency on 1 January.
A Mediterranean state inside the European project.
Malta joined the European Union in 2004, entered the Schengen Area in 2007 and adopted the euro in 2008. EU membership now shapes everyday life through travel, currency, trade, legislation and funding while Malta retains its own national institutions.
Economy
A small, open economy built mostly on services.
Services dominate Malta’s economy, alongside several internationally oriented industries.
Malta’s economy is now dominated by services and internationally connected business, particularly digital industries, finance, tourism, maritime and aviation activity, professional services and specialised manufacturing.
Digital & information
Digital and communications services are major parts of the modern economy.
Financial services
Banking, insurance and related services form an established international sector.
Tourism
Tourism supports accommodation, food, transport, culture and leisure.
Maritime & aviation
Malta’s location supports shipping, logistics, registration, repair and aviation services.
Manufacturing
Specialised and higher-value manufacturing continues alongside services.
Professional services
Legal, technical, scientific and business-support services remain significant.
Population
A very small territory with a rapidly changing population.
Malta’s population has grown rapidly, with migration now driving most of the increase.
588,254 residents at the end of 2025.
The National Statistics Office estimated the population of Malta and Gozo at 588,254 at the end of 2025, up 2.4% in a year. Net migration accounted for most of that growth.
Across roughly 316 km², this is about 1,860 residents per square kilometre, helping explain why parts of Malta feel intensely urban despite the country’s small scale.
Behind the postcard
A Sunny Place for Shady People
Malta is beautiful, prosperous and intensely photogenic. That does not mean every part of its modern political story has glittered quite so brightly.
Over the past decade Malta has faced repeated controversies over offshore finance, political-business links and major public contracts. The Panama Papers exposed offshore companies held by senior officials; later reporting linked 17 Black to figures around the Electrogas project. Separate scrutiny surrounded the Vitals–Steward hospitals concession and Malta’s investor-citizenship programme. These cases do not all have the same legal status: some produced court judgments or criminal charges, while other allegations remain disputed or unresolved.
The darkest moment came on 16 October 2017, when investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated by a car bomb near her home after years investigating corruption and links between politics and business. A 2021 public inquiry found that the Maltese state had created a culture of impunity and failed to act on the risks to her life. Five men have since been convicted for roles in carrying out or supplying the bombing; businessman Yorgen Fenech was acquitted of complicity in the murder in September 2026. Yet to this day, full justice has not been served: those responsible for carrying out and supplying the bomb have been punished, but responsibility for commissioning the assassination remains unresolved.
Further reading
Go straight to the primary sources.
Official statistics, government information, European context and Maltese law.