Maldives vs Malta
Malta is 6% larger than Maldives.
MaldivesMaltaMaldives moved onto Malta · Equal-area projection
0.94×
Maldives is 0.94× the area of Malta. Put the other way, Malta is 1.06× the size of Maldives.
 Maldives |  Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMalta: 1.06× the area | 298 km²#187 of 194 | 316 km²#186 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMalta: 1.09× the population | 529,676#167 of 194 · 2025 | 579,704#166 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalta: 1.03× the density | 1,777 / km²#6 of 194 | 1,835 / km²#4 of 194 |
| Urban populationMalta: 2.25× the urban share | 43%#145 of 192 · 2025 | 96%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMaldives: 1.54× the births per woman | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 | 1.01 per woman#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalta: 1.54 points higher | +0.35%#141 of 192 · 2025 | +1.89%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMaldives: 1.38× the birth rate | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 | 7.7 per 1,000#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMalta: 3.04× the death rate | 2.4 per 1,000#186 of 192 · 2024 | 7.3 per 1,000#93 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Maldives: 6.1 points higher | 19.0%#119 of 192 · 2025 | 12.9%#182 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Malta: 15.5 points higher | 5.0%#123 of 192 · 2025 | 20.5%#28 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalta: 13.2 per 1,000 higher | −4.3 per 1,000#171 of 192 · 2025 | +8.9 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMaldives: 6.0× the refugees for its size | 0.12 per 1,000#113 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalta: 1.7 years longer | 81.3 years#37 of 192 · 2024 | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 4.7 per 1,000 births#144 of 191 · 2024 | 4.7 per 1,000 births#144 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMalta: 2.01× the doctors per person | 2.24 per 1,000#80 of 178 · 2019 | 4.51 per 1,000#16 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentMalta: 1.66× the university enrolment | 48.5%#77 of 145 · 2022 | 80.5%#23 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexMalta: 0.158 higher | 0.766#92 of 190 · 2023 | 0.924#23 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMalta: 3.2× the income per person | $12,950#72 of 185 · 2025 | $41,440#26 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMalta: 3.59× the economy | $7.74B2025 | $27.77B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Malta: 2.53× the output per person | $28,555#72 of 184 · 2025 | $72,210#21 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMaldives: 2.3 points higher | +6.3%#26 of 187 · 2025 | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMaldives: 1.6 points higher | +4.0%#55 of 176 · 2025 | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMaldives: 1.55× the unemployment | 4.5%#106 of 178 · 2025 | 2.9%#144 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2019 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malta: 2.5 higher | 29.3#125 of 149 · 2019 | 31.8#104 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureMaldives: 10.4 points higher | 11.3% of jobs#105 of 178 · 2025 | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMalta: 0.8 points higher | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 | 17.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMalta: 9.6 points higher | 71.8% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 | 81.4% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalta: 159.0 points higher | 11.1% of GDP#12 of 184 · 2025 | 170.1% of GDP#1 of 184 · 2024 |
| ExportsMalta: 40.9 points higher | 78.2% of GDP#16 of 168 · 2024 | 119.1% of GDP#5 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 0.5% of GDP#146 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMalta: 1.1× the share online | 85%#78 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#33 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMaldives: 1.04× the mobile subscriptions | 148 per 100#28 of 191 · 2024 | 142 per 100#32 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMaldives: 8.33× the forest share | 13% of land#140 of 192 · 2024 | 2% of land#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMaldives: 1.12× the CO₂ per person | 3.57 t a year#73 of 185 · 2024 | 3.18 t a year#81 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMalta: 7.4 points higher | 1.2%#172 of 190 · 2022 | 8.6%#150 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Maldives: 1.04× the air pollution | 11.2 µg/m³#145 of 191 · 2023 | 10.8 µg/m³#149 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalta: 26.0 points higher | 3.0% of land#176 of 191 · 2025 | 29.0% of land#37 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalta: 9.1 points higher | 13.1% of land#79 of 190 · 2024 | 22.2% of land#46 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMalta: 4.62× the water stress | 15.7%#74 of 176 · 2022 | 72.6%#24 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMaldives: 3.52× the rain and snow | 1,972 mm#35 of 180 · 2022 | 560 mm#137 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalta: 0.96 higher | +0.08#100 of 193 · 2025 | +1.04#31 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalta: 0.51 higher | −0.33#105 of 193 · 2025 | +0.18#72 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAbout the same homicide rate | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2019 | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | EU, Euro area, Schengen Area |
| Capital | Male | Valletta |
| Currency | Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Maldivian | English, Maltese |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+5 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +960 | +356 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | 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. Maldives sits at about 4° N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Malta at 36° N is stretched to 1.52×. That difference is why Malta looks so much bigger than it is next to Maldives. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Maldives bigger than Malta?
- No. Maldives is 6% smaller than Malta. Maldives covers 298 km² and Malta covers 316 km².
- How many times does Maldives fit into Malta?
- About 1.1 times: Malta has 1.06× the area of Maldives.
- Why do Maldives and Malta look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Maldives is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Malta about 1.52×. That is why Malta looks so much bigger than it really is next to Maldives. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Maldives or Malta?
- Malta: 579,704 people against 529,676. Density: Maldives 1,777 per km², Malta 1,835 per km².
- Which is richer, Maldives or Malta?
- By gross national income per person, Malta: $41,440 against $12,950 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.2× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Maldives or Malta?
- In Malta: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 81.3 — 1.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Maldives and Malta have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Maldives: presidential republic; Malta: parliamentary republic.