Statizoid

Press freedom in Malta

Malta: Press freedom was 2 in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
2
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 194 countries
All-time high
2
in 1988
All-time low
0
in 1983
Years of data
36
1979–2016

Press freedom in Malta, 1979–2016

00.511.521979199720161979: 11980: 11982: 11983: 01984: 01985: 01986: 01987: 11988: 21990: 21991: 21992: 21993: 21994: 21995: 21996: 21997: 21998: 21999: 22000: 22001: 22002: 22003: 22004: 22005: 22006: 22007: 22008: 22009: 22010: 22011: 22012: 22013: 22014: 22015: 22016: 2

Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for press freedom in Malta is 2, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, press freedom in Malta peaked at 2 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1983.

That places Malta 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Press freedom in Malta, year by year

Year Value Change
1979 1 —
1980 1 +0.0%
1982 1 +0.0%
1983 0 -100.0%
1984 0 —
1985 0 —
1986 0 —
1987 1 —
1988 2 +100.0%
1990 2 +0.0%
1991 2 +0.0%
1992 2 +0.0%
1993 2 +0.0%
1994 2 +0.0%
1995 2 +0.0%
1996 2 +0.0%
1997 2 +0.0%
1998 2 +0.0%
1999 2 +0.0%
2000 2 +0.0%
2001 2 +0.0%
2002 2 +0.0%
2003 2 +0.0%
2004 2 +0.0%
2005 2 +0.0%
2006 2 +0.0%
2007 2 +0.0%
2008 2 +0.0%
2009 2 +0.0%
2010 2 +0.0%
2011 2 +0.0%
2012 2 +0.0%
2013 2 +0.0%
2014 2 +0.0%
2015 2 +0.0%
2016 2 +0.0%

Malta compared with similar countries

  • Malta's 2 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2, 1.0× the median. (65 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1 1 1 1
1980s 0.625 0 2 8
1990s 2 2 2 10
2000s 2 2 2 10
2010s 2 2 2 7

Countries ranked near Malta

  1. 1 Andorra 2 compare
  2. 1 Australia 2 compare
  3. 1 Austria 2 compare
  4. 1 Bahamas 2 compare
  5. 1 Barbados 2 compare
  6. 1 Belgium 2 compare
  7. 1 Belize 2 compare
  8. 1 Canada 2 compare
  9. 1 Cape Verde 2 compare
  10. 1 Chile 2 compare
  11. 1 Costa Rica 2 compare
  12. 1 Cyprus 2 compare
  13. 1 Czechia 2 compare
  14. 1 Denmark 2 compare
  15. 1 Dominica 2 compare
  16. 1 Estonia 2 compare
  17. 1 Finland 2 compare
  18. 1 France 2 compare
  19. 1 Germany 2 compare
  20. 1 Grenada 2 compare
  21. 1 Iceland 2 compare
  22. 1 Ireland 2 compare
  23. 1 Jamaica 2 compare
  24. 1 Japan 2 compare
  25. 1 Kiribati 2 compare
  26. 1 Latvia 2 compare
  27. 1 Liechtenstein 2 compare
  28. 1 Lithuania 2 compare
  29. 1 Luxembourg 2 compare
  30. 1 Marshall Islands 2 compare
  31. 1 Mauritius 2 compare
  32. 1 Monaco 2 compare
  33. 1 Netherlands 2 compare
  34. 1 New Zealand 2 compare
  35. 1 Norway 2 compare
  36. 1 Palau 2 compare
  37. 1 Papua New Guinea 2 compare
  38. 1 Portugal 2 compare
  39. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
  40. 1 Saint Lucia 2 compare
  41. 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 compare
  42. 1 Samoa 2 compare
  43. 1 San Marino 2 compare
  44. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
  45. 1 Slovakia 2 compare
  46. 1 Slovenia 2 compare
  47. 1 Solomon Islands 2 compare
  48. 1 Spain 2 compare
  49. 1 Suriname 2 compare
  50. 1 Sweden 2 compare
  51. 1 Switzerland 2 compare
  52. 1 Taiwan 2 compare
  53. 1 Tonga 2 compare
  54. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
  55. 1 Tuvalu 2 compare
  56. 1 United Kingdom 2 compare
  57. 1 United States 2 compare
  58. 1 Uruguay 2 compare
  59. 1 Vanuatu 2 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More social development data for Malta

All data for Malta →

Frequently asked questions

What is press freedom in Malta?
Press freedom in Malta was 2 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest press freedom recorded in Malta?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1988.
What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Malta?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1983.
How does Malta rank for press freedom?
Malta ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
Is press freedom rising or falling in Malta?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malta data come from?
The figures come from Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Press freedom. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Press freedom in Malta. Statizoid, drawing on Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/press-freedom-fh/malta/

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About this data

Indicator
Press freedom
Source
Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 6,417 data points, 1979–2016
Last refreshed

Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.