Human Development & Quality of Life in Malta
Human Development
Malta's 2023 HDI is 0.924, placing it 24 in UNDP's table and in the very high human development category. Reading beyond the headline, education combines 15.9 expected years of schooling with 12.4 mean years already attained. A second lens is equally relevant here: GII adds a separate gender-inequality reading of 0.111 at rank 36.
What sits inside Malta's HDI
Looking at the published indicators, the UNDP inputs behind Malta's HDI are 83.3 for life expectancy, 15.9 for expected years of schooling, 12.4 for mean years of schooling and $52,155 GNI per capita in 2021 PPP dollars. These figures show what sits behind the composite score.
Inequality changes the headline
For Malta, IHDI asks how the HDI changes once unequal achievement across people is considered, the adjustment is about distribution rather than subjective well-being. For the profile as a whole, distinguish the composite from its components so the number is not mistaken for another indicator.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
Malta's complementary UNDP indicators include GDI 0.977, GII 0.111, PHDI 0.799. Reading them together is useful, but combining them would obscure their different definitions. For a like-for-like reading, retain the original indicator definition so the source year is not silently treated as the publication year.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
No dated comparable life-satisfaction figure is included for Malta in this release. A missing source value is shown as unavailable.
What Malta's numbers say together
For a fuller view of Malta, the page shows IHDI 0.843 with a 8.8% loss; PHDI 0.799 after a 13.5% adjustment; GDI 0.977. The indicators add context without becoming a single composite DigifyWorld rating. For a like-for-like reading, retain the original indicator definition instead of collapsing separate dimensions into one label.
UNDP reports a 2023 HDI of 0.924 for Malta, with rank 24. That headline measure is useful for development comparison, but it is not a complete quality-of-life score. For the evidence on this page, avoid turning the indicator into a general country score before comparing it with a quality-of-life observation.
The IHDI is 0.843, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 8.8% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.977 in group 1; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.799, with a 13.5% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Malta's HDI?
In the Human Development Report 2025, Malta is listed at HDI 0.924 for 2023, rank 24.
How does inequality affect Malta's HDI?
For Malta, IHDI is 0.843 and the associated inequality loss is 8.8%. This adjustment concerns the distribution of HDI achievements.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
In this country profile, a subjective well-being figure for Malta is published only when the source supplies a usable observation. No value is inferred when the underlying source does not publish one.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. Quality of life is broader than the HDI framework, which centres on health, education and income. A life-satisfaction result is not an input to HDI and remains a separate quality-of-life signal.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.