That dollar amount results from a 33.6% upturn compared to $2.83 billion five years earlier in 2020.
Year over year, Maltese export sales increased by 9.1% starting from $3.47 billion during 2023.
Applying a continental lens, more than half (54.1%) of Malta’s exports by value was delivered to fellow European countries while 24.8% were sold to importers in Asia. Malta shipped another 9.35% worth of goods to buyers in Africa.
Smaller percentages went to customers in North America (9.32%), Latin America (1.3%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (1.1%) mostly Australia and New Zealand.
Malta’s Top Trading Partners
Below is a list showcasing 25 of Malta’s top trading partners. That is, countries that imported the most Maltese shipments by dollar value during 2024. Also shown is each import country’s percentage of total Maltese exports.
- Germany: US$846.3 million (22.4% of Malta’s total exports)
- United States: $290.2 million (7.7%)
- Italy: $203.6 million (5.4%)
- Japan: $185 million (4.9%)
- Singapore: $168.4 million (4.5%)
- Greece: $149 million (3.9%)
- United Kingdom: $126.9 million (3.4%)
- Hong Kong: $116.4 million (3.1%)
- Türkiye: $88.4 million (2.3%)
- Netherlands: $77.1 million (2%)
- France: $75.4 million (2%)
- Spain: $71.3 million (1.9%)
- Poland: $53.7 million (1.4%)
- South Korea: $52.2 million (1.4%)
- Ghana: $49.4 million (1.3%)
- Philippines: $47.1 million (1.2%)
- Hungary: $44 million (1.2%)
- Switzerland: $41.7 million (1.1%)
- Saudi Arabia: $39.3 million (1%)
- Australia: $39 million (1%)
- Tanzania: $37.1 million (1%)
- United Arab Emirates: $35.6 million (0.9%)
- Canada: $35 million (0.9%)
- mainland China: $32.9 million (0.9%)
- Argentina: $31.4 million (0.8%)
Nearly four-fifths (77.6%) of total Maltese exports in 2024 was delivered to the above-listed Maltese trade partners.
Among Malta’s top customers, the strongest percentage gain from 2023 to 2024 was posted by importers in Tanzania (up 50,656%).
Other major gainers include the Philippines (up 967.6%), Greece (up 656.6%), Türkiye (up 201.8%) then the United States of America (up 114.1%).
The leading percentage decliners from Malta’s top trade partners were Ghana (down -34.9% from 2023), Argentina (down -29.3%), Hong Kong (down -25%) then mainland China (down -17.4%).
Countries Causing Malta’s Largest Trade Deficits
Malta garnered an overall -US$4.9 billion trade deficit during 2024, dropping by -7.2% from -$5.3 billion in red ink in 2023.
As defined by Investopedia, a country whose total value of all imported goods is higher than its value of all exports is said to have a negative trade balance or deficit. It would be unrealistic for any exporting nation to expect across-the-board positive trade balances with all its importing partners. Similarly, that export country doesn’t necessarily post a negative trade balance with each individual partner with which it exchanges exports and imports.
Malta incurred the highest trade deficits with the following countries.
- Italy: -US$1.9 billion (country-specific trade deficit in 2024)
- France: -$1.2 billion
- Spain: -$668.3 million
- United Kingdom: -$366.8 million
- mainland China: -$343.4 million
- India: -$287.6 million
- Netherlands: -$273.6 million
- Türkiye: -$209.4 million
- Sweden: -$176 million
- Taiwan: -$163.2 million
Among Malta’s trading partners that cause the greatest negative trade balances, Maltese deficits with Sweden (up 770%), France (up 83.5%) and Spain (up 48.8%) grew at the fastest pace from 2023 to 2024.
These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate Malta’s competitive disadvantages with the above countries, but also represent key opportunities for Malta to develop country-specific strategies to strengthen its overall position in international trade.
Countries Generating Malta’s Best Trade Surpluses
Based on Investopedia’s definition of net importer, a country whose total value of all imported goods is lower than its value of all exports is said to have a positive trade balance or surplus.
Malta generated the highest trade surpluses with the following countries.
- Germany: US$361.5 million (country-specific trade surplus in 2024)
- Singapore: $130.5 million
- Hong Kong: $91 million
- Japan: $86.4 million
- Ghana: $49.4 million
- Tanzania: $36.9 million
- Argentina: $30.5 million
- Hungary: $27.9 million
- Australia: $27.5 million
- Nigeria: $23.1 million
Among Malta’s trading partners that generate the greatest positive trade balances, Malta’s surpluses with Germany (up 100.4%), Hungary (up 21.2%) and Singapore (up 15.3%) grew at the fastest pace from 2023 to 2024.
In addition, Malta transitioned from incurring a -$11,000 deficit trading with Tanzania to posting the multi-million dollar trade surplus listed above for 2024.
These positive cashflow streams clearly indicate Malta’s competitive advantages with the above countries, but also represent key opportunities for Malta to develop country-specific strategies to optimize its overall position in international trade.
Companies Servicing Maltese Trading Partners
Given how small Malta is, it should come as no surprise that not one Maltese corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.
Wikipedia does list Maltese companies that engage in international trade. Selected examples are shown below:
- Air Malta plc (airliner)
- Emmanuel Delicata (wine)
- Simonds Farsons Cisk plc (beverages including beer)
See also Malta’s Top 10 Exports, Germany’s Top Trading Partners, Italy’s Top Trading Partners, France’s Top Trading Partners and Japan’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Europe: Malta. Accessed on February 10, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on February 10, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 10, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on February 10, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Malta. Accessed on February 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Malta. Accessed on February 10, 2026