Heard and McDonald Islands vs Malta
Heard and McDonald Islands is 16% larger than Malta.
Heard and McDonald IslandsMaltaHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Malta · Equal-area projection
1.16×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 1.16× the area of Malta.
 Heard and McDonald Islands |  Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaHeard and McDonald Islands: 1.16× the area | 368 km² | 316 km²#186 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| Population | — | 579,704#166 of 194 · 2025 |
| Density | — | 1,835 / km²#4 of 194 |
| Urban population | — | 96%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rate | — | 1.01 per woman#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growth | — | +1.89%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rate | — | 7.7 per 1,000#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rate | — | 7.3 per 1,000#93 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15 | — | 12.9%#182 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65 | — | 20.5%#28 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migration | — | +8.9 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | — | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | — | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 4.7 per 1,000 births#144 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 4.51 per 1,000#16 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 80.5%#23 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.924#23 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $41,440#26 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDP | — | $27.77B2025 |
| Income group | — | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | — | $72,210#21 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growth | — | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 |
| Unemployment | — | 2.9%#144 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 31.8#104 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agriculture | — | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industry | — | 17.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in services | — | 81.4% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | — | 170.1% of GDP#1 of 184 · 2024 |
| Exports | — | 119.1% of GDP#5 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 0.5% of GDP#146 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | — | 94%#33 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | — | 142 per 100#32 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | — | 2% of land#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | — | 3.18 t a year#81 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energy | — | 8.6%#150 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricity | — | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | — | 10.8 µg/m³#149 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected land | — | 29.0% of land#37 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable land | — | 22.2% of land#46 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 72.6%#24 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 560 mm#137 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | — | +1.04#31 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruption | — | +0.18#72 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of Australia | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territory | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | EU, Euro area, Schengen Area |
| Capital | — | Valletta |
| Currency | — | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | English | English, Maltese |
| Traffic drives | — | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+5 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | — | +356 |
| Region | Seven seas (open ocean) | Southern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Heard and McDonald Islands sits at about 53° S and is stretched to 2.77× its true area; Malta at 36° N is stretched to 1.52×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Malta. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Heard and McDonald Islands bigger than Malta?
- Yes. Heard and McDonald Islands is 16% larger than Malta. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Malta covers 316 km².
- How many times does Malta fit into Heard and McDonald Islands?
- About 1.2 times: Heard and McDonald Islands has 1.16× the area of Malta.
- Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Malta look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Heard and McDonald Islands is drawn about 2.77× its true area there and Malta about 1.52×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Malta. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- What kind of government do Heard and McDonald Islands and Malta have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Heard and McDonald Islands: dependent territory; Malta: parliamentary republic.