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Data profiles:


Malta
Student performance (PISA 2018)
  • In reading literacy, the main topic of PISA 2018, 15-year-olds in Malta score 448 points compared to an average of 487 points in OECD countries. Girls perform better than boys with a statistically significant difference of 49 points (OECD average: 30 points higher for girls).
  • On average, 15-year-olds score 472 points in mathematics compared to an average of 489 points in OECD countries. Girls perform better than boys with a statistically significant difference of 13 points (OECD average: 5 points higher for boys).
  • In Malta, the average performance in science of 15-year-olds is 457 points, compared to an average of 489 points in OECD countries. Girls perform better than boys with a statistically significant difference of 21 points (OECD average: 2 points higher for girls).
  • Socio-economic status explains 8% of the variance in reading performance in Malta (OECD average: 12%).
  • The average difference between advantaged and disadvantaged students in reading is 85 points, compared to an average of 89 in OECD countries. However, 13% of disadvantaged students are academically resilient (OECD average: 11%).
    • | PISA 2018 | Country Note | PISA 2018 Assessment and Analytical Framework | PISA Database | Glossary |
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    The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries. The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD and partner countries. Find out more about the methodology here.

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    Student performance in reading

    The difference between girls and boys in reading performance is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies in favour of girls. (49 PISA Score, rank 7/76 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The score difference in reading between the 10% of students with the highest scores and the 10% of students with the lowest scores is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (298 PISA Score, rank 3/76 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Student performance in mathematics

    The difference between girls' and boys' in mathematics performance is among the highest compared to other countries and economies participating in PISA. (13 PISA Score, rank 3/45 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The score difference in mathematics between the 10% of students with the highest scores and the 10% of students with the lowest scores is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (265 PISA Score, rank 4/77 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The change in maths performance between 2015 and 2018 shows one of the strongest decreases among PISA-participating countries and economies. (-7 PISA Score, rank 14/16 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Student performance in science

    The difference between girls and boys in science performance is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies in favour of girls. (21 PISA Score, rank 6/39 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The score difference in science between the 10% of students with the highest scores and the 10% of students with the lowest scores is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (280 PISA Score, rank 2/77 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Participation in education

    The percentage of students attending government or public schools is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (54.9 %, rank 66/74 , 2018) Download Indicator

    A large share of 15 year-old students attend private schools. (45.1 %, rank 8/75 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Fields of education

    The percentage of 15 year-old girls expecting to work as ICT professionals at age 30 is one of the largest among countries and economies participating in PISA. (2.5 %, rank 6/78 , 2018) Download Indicator

    School climate

    A large share of 15 year-old students never arrived late for school in the two weeks prior to the PISA test. (68.1 %, rank 5/76 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Students in Malta are one of the most competitive, compared to other PISA-participating countries and economies. (0.36 PISA Index, rank 9/77 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Classroom environment

    The ratio of students to teaching staff in socio-economically disadvantaged schools is one of the smallest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (5.32 Ratio, rank 74/76 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The ratio of students to teaching staff in socio-economically advantaged schools is one of the smallest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (8.52 Ratio, rank 72/76 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The ratio of students to teaching staff in schools attended by 15-year-olds is comparatively low in Malta. (6.74 Ratio, rank 75/76 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The average class-size of 15 year-olds is comparatively small. (19.6 Ratio, rank 74/77 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Malta has one of the largest share of students in schools that group students by abillity for some subjects. (68 %, rank 9/78 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Before accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile, Malta has one of the largest differences in students' reading performance associated to attending a school with ability grouping in classes. (41 PISA Score points, rank 1/10 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Student well-being

    In Malta, the average level of student's life satisfaction is one of the lowest among countries and economies participating in PISA. (6.56 PISA Index, rank 62/70 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Bullying

    In Malta, a large percentage of students strongly agreed that it is a good thing to help students who can't defend themselves. (46.1 %, rank 7/76 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Students' global competence

    In 2018, the index of students' awareness of global issues in Malta was one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (0.23 PISA Index, rank 4/64 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In 2018, the index of students' perspective-taking in Malta was one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (0.18 PISA Index, rank 10/64 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In 2018, the index of students' awareness of intercultural communication in Malta was one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (0.14 PISA Index, rank 7/63 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Knowledge of languages and language learning

    In 2018, Malta registered a large proportion of students who speak at least two languages (including the one/those spoken at home). (90.4 %, rank 5/62 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Performance and socio-economic status

    Malta has one of the largest shares of the variation in reading performance within schools explained by students' and schools' economic, social and cultural status (ESCS). (95.4 %, rank 7/75 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Performance and diversity

    The difference in reading performance between immigrant students who speak the language of assessment at home and those who do not is one of the largest compared to other PISA-participating countries and economies. (63 PISA Score, rank 7/32 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Resources for education

    The shortage of schools' educational material is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (-0.44 PISA Index, rank 69/78 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In Malta, a small share of students attend schools whose principal reported that the school's capacity to provide instruction is hindered to some extent or a lot by a lack of educational material. (10.1 %, rank 75/78 , 2018) Download Indicator

    There is a negative difference in students' reading performance associated with their school principal reporting that the school's capacity to provide instruction is hindered to some extent or a lot by a lack of educational material, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (-65 PISA Score points, rank 19/19 , 2018) Download Indicator

    There is a positive difference in students' reading performance associated with principal reporting that the school's capacity to provide instruction is hindered to some extent or a lot by a lack of physical infrastructure, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (-14 PISA Score points, rank 9/11 , 2018) Download Indicator

    A small share of students attend socio-economically advantaged schools with available room(s) where students can do their homework. (45.6 %, rank 69/78 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Demographic indicators

    The coverage of the national 15-year-old population in PISA 2018 is one the higest among countries and economies participating in PISA. (0.97 Ratio, rank 4/78 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Malta has one of the smallest 15-year-old populations among PISA-participating countries and economies. (4039 Persons, rank 78/78 , 2018) Download Indicator


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    General findings
    
                        
    
                            
    
                                
      Reading literacy is defined as students' capacity to understand, use, evaluate, reflect on and engage with texts in order to achieve one's goals, develop one's knowledge and potential, and participate in society.


    • Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (China) and Singapore scored significantly higher in reading than all other countries/economies that participated in PISA 2018. Estonia, Canada, Finland and Ireland were the highest-performing OECD countries in reading. 

    • Some 77% of students, on average across OECD countries, attained at least Level 2 proficiency in reading. At a minimum, these students are able to identify the main idea in a text of moderate length, find information based on explicit, though sometimes complex, criteria, and reflect on the purpose and form of texts when explicitly directed to do so. Over 85% of students in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (China), Canada, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, Macao (China), Poland and Singapore performed at this level or above.  

    • Around 8.7% of students, on average across OECD countries, were top performers in reading, meaning that they attained Level 5 or 6 in the PISA reading test. At these levels, students are able to comprehend lengthy texts, deal with concepts that are abstract or counterintuitive, and establish distinctions between fact and opinion, based on implicit cues pertaining to the content or source of the information. In 20 education systems, including those of 15 OECD countries, over 10% of 15-year-old students were top performers.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2018 Results (Volume I): What Students Know and Can Do | Education policies: Skills | 
    
                            
    
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      Mathematics literacy is defined as students' capacity to formulate, employ and interpret mathematics in a variety of contexts. It includes reasoning mathematically and using mathematical concepts, procedures, facts and tools to describe, explain and predict phenomena. 


    • On  average  across  OECD  countries,  76%  of  students  attained  Level  2  or  higher  in  mathematics.  At  a  minimum,  these students can interpret and recognise, without direct instructions, how a (simple) situation can be represented mathematically (e.g. comparing the total distance across two alternative routes, or converting prices into a different currency). However, in 24 countries and economies, more than 50% of students scored below this level of proficiency. 

    • Around one in six 15-year-old students in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (China) (16.5%), and about one in seven students in Singapore (13.8%), scored at Level 6 in mathematics, the highest level of proficiency that PISA describes. These students are capable of advanced mathematical thinking and reasoning. On average across OECD countries, only 2.4% of students scored at this level. 
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2018 Results (Volume I): What Students Know and Can Do | Education policies: Skills | 
    
                            
    
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      Science literacy is defined as the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen. A scientifically literate person is willing to engage in reasoned discourse about science and technology, which requires the competencies to explain phenomena scientifically, evaluate and design scientific enquiry, and interpret data and evidence scientifically.


    • On average across OECD countries, 78% of students attained Level 2 or higher in science. At a minimum, these students can recognise the correct explanation for familiar scientific phenomena and can use such knowledge to identify, in simple cases, whether a conclusion is valid based on the data provided. More than 90% of students in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (China) (97.9%), Macao (China) (94.0%), Estonia (91.2%) and Singapore (91.0%) achieved this benchmark.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2018 Results (Volume I): What Students Know and Can Do | Education policies: Skills | 
    
                            
    
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    • In 11 countries and economies, including the OECD countries Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Japan, Korea,
Norway and the United Kingdom, average performance was higher than the OECD average while the relationship between
socio-economic status and reading performance was weaker than the OECD average.
    • In spite of socio-economic disadvantage, some students attain high levels of academic proficiency. On average across OECD
countries, one in ten disadvantaged students was able to score in the top quarter of reading performance in their countries
(known as academic resilience), indicating that disadvantage is not destiny. In Australia, Canada, Estonia, Hong-Kong (China),
Ireland, Macao (China) and the United Kingdom, all of which score above the OECD average, more than 13% of disadvantaged
students were academically resilient.
    • In all countries and economies that participated in PISA 2018, girls significantly outperformed boys in reading - by 30 score
points, on average across OECD countries. The narrowest gender gaps (less than 20 score points) were observed in Argentina,
Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (China), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Peru; the widest (more than
50 score points) were observed in Finland, Jordan, the Republic of North Macedonia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2018 Results (Volume II): Where All Students Can Succeed | Education policies: Gender | Education policies: Socio-economic status | Education policies: Migrant background | 
    
                            
    
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    • Co-operation amongst students was more prevalent than competition, on average across OECD countries in 2018. Some 62%
of students reported that students co-operate with each other while only 50% of students reported that their schoolmates
compete with each other.

    • Some 23% of students reported being bullied at least a few times a month, on average across OECD countries.

    • Some 88% of students across OECD countries agreed that it is a good thing to help students who cannot defend themselves
and it is wrong to join in bullying. Girls and students who were not frequently bullied were more likely to report stronger
anti-bullying attitudes than boys and frequently bullied students.

    • On average across OECD countries, 21% of students had skipped a day of school and 48% of students had arrived late for
school in the two weeks prior to the PISA test. In Georgia, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, at least one in five students
had skipped school at least three times during that period.

    • On average across OECD countries, 67% of students reported being satisfied with their lives (students who reported
between 7 and 10 on the 10-point life-satisfaction scale). Between 2015 and 2018, the share of satisfied students shrank
by 5 percentage points.

    • In a majority of school systems, students who expressed a greater fear of failure scored higher in reading, but reported less
satisfaction with life, than students expressing less concern about failing, after accounting for the socio-economic profile
of students and schools. 
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2018 Results (Volume III): What School Life Means for Students' Lives | Education policies: Students' Well-Being | Education policies: Student engagement and motivation | Education policies: Learning time & Disciplinary climate | OECD Better Life Index | 
    
                            
    
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      Financial literacy is defined as the knowledge and understanding of financial concepts and risks, and the skills, motivation and confidence to apply such knowledge and understanding in order to make effective decisions across a range of financial contexts, to improve the financial well-being of individuals and society, and to enable participation in economic life.

    • The highest average financial literacy performance is found in Estonia, followed by the Canadian provinces and Finland.
    •  Some 85% of students, on average across OECD countries/economies, attained at least Level 2 proficiency in financial literacy. These students can apply their knowledge of common financial products and financial terms and can recognise the value of a simple budget. However, in five partner countries, more than one in three students did not attain Level 2 proficiency.
    • Some 10% of students attained the highest level (Level 5) of proficiency in financial literacy, on average across OECD countries/economies. These students can analyse complex financial products and documents. Almost one in five students in Estonia and Finland displayed Level 5 proficiency.
    • Boys scored a small but significant 2 points higher than girls in the PISA 2018 financial literacy assessment, on average across OECD countries/economies. After accounting for performance in mathematics and reading, boys outperformed girls by 10 points.
    • Socio-economically advantaged students performed better in financial literacy than disadvantaged students - by roughly one proficiency level, on average across OECD countries/economies.
    • Immigrant students scored 30 points lower than non-immigrant students, on average across OECD countries/economies. However, after accounting for performance in reading and maths, immigrant students scored only five points below non-immigrant students.
    • Some 94% of students reported obtaining information about money matters from parents, guardians and other adult relations, on average across OECD countries/economies.
    • On average across OECD countries/economies, 54% of students held an account at a bank, building society, post office or credit union, and 45% of students held a payment card or a debit card. Students in Australia, the Canadian provinces, Estonia and Finland were particularly likely to hold such products, the oposite was found in Brazil, Peru and Serbia.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2018 Results (Volume IV): Are Students Smart About Money? | Education policies: Skills | 
    
                            
    
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    • On average across OECD countries, 6% of students had not attended or had attended pre-primary education for less than one year. These students scored lower in reading at the age of 15 than students who had attended for between one and three years, before and after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. 
    • A socio-economically disadvantaged 15-year-old student was about three times more likely than an advantaged student, on average across OECD countries, to have repeated a grade at least once, even if both students scored the same in the PISA reading test.
    • On average across OECD countries, students in schools that group students by ability in their classes for all subjects scored eight points lower in reading than students in schools that do not group students in this way, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile.
    • After accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile, students in public schools scored higher in reading than students in private schools, on average across OECD countries (by 14 score points) and in 19 education systems (ranging from 13 score points higher in Indonesia  to 117 points higher in Serbia).
    • Some 28% of students were enrolled in schools whose principal reported that learning is hindered by a lack of teaching staff, and 33% were enrolled in schools whose principal reported that learning is hindered by a lack of assisting staff, on average across OECD countries.
    • Students attending schools whose principal reported fewer shortages of material resources scored higher in reading, on average across OECD countries and in 12 countries and economies, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. At the system level, more shortages of educational materials were correlated with lower mean performance in reading, even after accounting for per capita GDP, across OECD countries, and across participating countries and economies in PISA 2018.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2018 Results (Volume V): Effective Policies, Successful Schools | Education policies: Organisation and Governance | 
    
                            
    
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      Global competence is defined as a multidimensional capacity that encompasses the ability to: 1) examine issues of local, global and cultural significance; 2) understand and appreciate the perspectives and worldviews of others; 3) engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions across cultures; and 4) take action for collective well-being and sustainable development.

    • Students in Albania, Greece, Lithuania, Malta and the United Arab Emirates reported the highest levels of awareness of global issues, while students in Argentina, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Viet Nam reported the lowest levels of awareness.
    • Students in Albania, Kosovo, Lebanon, North Macedonia and Turkey reported the greatest capacity for perspective taking, while those in Colombia, France, Italy, Lithuania and the Slovak Republic showed the least.
    • Students in Albania, the Dominican Republic, Kosovo, the Philippines and Turkey showed the greatest interest in learning about other cultures among the 64 countries and economies that had non-missing data.
    • Students in Albania, Canada, Korea, Portugal and Spain reported the most positive attitudes towards immigrants, with values in the index that were significantly higher than the OECD average. The least positive attitudes were observed in Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and the Slovak Republic.
    • On average across OECD countries, only 12% of students reported that they do not learn any foreign language at school, while 38% reported that they learn one foreign language and 50% reported that they learn two or more.
    • Students in Albania, Costa Rica, Korea, Portugal and Singapore reported the highest levels of agency regarding global issues. The lowest levels were observed in Germany, Hungary, Latvia, the Russian Federation and the Slovak Republic.
    • On average across OECD countries, students reported engaging in about five learning activities linked to global competences.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2018 Results (Volume VI): Are Students Ready to Thrive in an Interconnected World? | Education policies: Organisation and Governance | 
    
                            
    
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            Diagram of funding flows - Malta
            
    
            
    
        
    


        
		
    
            
    
			Click on the coverpage to see the full OECD iLibrary version
			
    
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            Country Reviews for Malta
            
    
            
    
			
    
        
    
		
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
        
    
            Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced
            by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple
            most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in
            education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities, 
			such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey
            more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important
            areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please
            take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website
            for each publication.
    
            All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. 
            The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/
            

    
	    *TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. 
		This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages.
		Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and 
		Annex 3 
		of EAG 2021 for more details about the data collections.
            

    
			B-S-J-Z (China) refers to the four PISA-participating provinces/municipalities of the People's Republic of China:
Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
			

    
            For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.