{"id":4345,"date":"2023-10-16T12:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T10:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/?page_id=4345"},"modified":"2025-09-11T15:14:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T13:14:00","slug":"4345-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/italia-e-malta\/diplomazia-economica\/4345-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Commercial Cooperation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trade Flows<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2024, bilateral trade between Italy and Malta further strengthened, with Italian exports to the archipelago reaching \u20ac2.34 billion (an 11.9% increase over 2023) and imports amounting to \u20ac347 million (+20.2%). The trade balance, largely favorable to Italy (\u20ac1.99 billion), testifies to the solidity of economic relations and the centrality of “Made in Italy” products in the Maltese market.<\/p>\n

Main Exported Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among the leading sectors, ships and boats stood out, reaching a value of \u20ac420 million in 2024, a strong increase compared to the previous year (an increase of over 70%). Also particularly significant were products derived from petroleum refining, which increased from \u20ac344 million to over \u20ac401 million, supported by Malta’s constant energy demand.
\nIn the durable consumer goods sector, furniture sales increased to \u20ac90 million, while other general-purpose machinery sales exceeded \u20ac58 million. In the agri-food sector, meat products reached \u20ac74 million, while the “other food products” category reached nearly \u20ac55 million, confirming Malta’s passion for Italian gastronomic excellence.
\nBase chemicals and plastics saw a slight increase, from \u20ac44 million to \u20ac50 million, while beverages stood at around \u20ac48 million. Electronic components, on the other hand, declined from \u20ac74 million in 2023 to \u20ac59 million in 2024, although they remain an important sector for the supply of electronic devices and circuit boards.<\/p>\n

Main Imported Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarding Malta’s imports to Italy, ships and boats increased significantly, from approximately \u20ac20 million to \u20ac72 million. Other segments of interest include medicines and pharmaceutical preparations, which stood at \u20ac49 million, and waste, which rose to almost \u20ac40 million.
\nAlso noteworthy are the trends in other special-purpose machinery, which rose from \u20ac15 million to \u20ac22 million, and petroleum refining products, which reached \u20ac19 million. In the chemical sector (201), imports of basic chemicals and fertilizers increased from \u20ac4 million to over \u20ac17 million, confirming a dynamic market for basic materials as well. Other noteworthy sectors include medical and dental instruments and supplies at \u20ac15 million, fish and fishery products at \u20ac13 million, and “other textile products,” which also reached \u20ac13 million.<\/p>\n

Post-pandemic economic outlook<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to estimates by the MAECI Economic Observatory, Malta has experienced a sustained economic recovery, with GDP growth of 6% in 2024 and a forecast of 3.1% for 2025. The budget deficit was contained at 3.7%, while public debt remained below 60% of GDP.
\nThe tertiary sector, particularly tourism and financial services, is driving the country’s economy.<\/p>\n

Trade (millions of euros)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Year Exports Imports Balance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
2021<\/p>\n

2022<\/td>\n

1.836<\/p>\n

2.095<\/td>\n

297<\/p>\n

321<\/td>\n

1.540<\/p>\n

1.774<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

2023<\/td>\n2.096<\/td>\n289<\/td>\n1.807<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/td>\n2.346<\/td>\n348<\/td>\n1.998<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: Informercatiesteri<\/a><\/p>\n

Tourism and connections with Italy<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2024, Malta welcomed over 3 million tourists, with Italians in second place (approximately 616,000 visitors, +11% compared to 2023), after the British and ahead of Germans and French.
\nDirect air connections between Malta and Italy are operated by Air Malta, ITA Airways, Ryanair, EasyJet, and other airlines, with regular flights from:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Rome, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Turin, Venice, Bari, Catania, Palermo, and Pisa
\nSea connections include:
\n\u2022 Virtu Ferries Catamaran Pozzallo\u2013Malta
\n\u2022 Ragusa Xpress Catamaran Marina di Ragusa\u2013Malta<\/p>\n

Maltese Tourism in Italy<\/strong>
\nIn 2024, approximately 300,000 Maltese chose Italy as their main tourist destination, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and France.
\nCruise tourism recorded approximately 670,000 cruise passengers, with Italians in third place after the British and Germans.<\/p>\n

International Students<\/strong>
\nIn 2024, 80,946 international students attended English language courses in Malta at authorized schools. Italians represent the largest group, with approximately 20,200 (24.9%), followed by French (10.3%) and Germans (10.1%). Women make up 61.3% of students, while those under 16 represent 28.1% of the total.<\/p>\n

Tax System<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maltese’s tax regime continues to be attractive to foreign investors, with favorable taxation for businesses. The Maltese authorities confirm compliance with EU and OECD standards, while maintaining national fiscal sovereignty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trade Flows In 2024, bilateral trade between Italy and Malta further strengthened, with Italian exports to the archipelago reaching \u20ac2.34 billion (an 11.9% increase over 2023) and imports amounting to \u20ac347 million (+20.2%). The trade balance, largely favorable to Italy (\u20ac1.99 billion), testifies to the solidity of economic relations and the centrality of “Made in […]","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":144,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4345","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4345"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4351,"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4345\/revisions\/4351"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amblavalletta.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}