Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malta instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 50.9% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malta, it is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 51.7% more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 30.6% of people as of 2024.
see 40.1% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malta spends $5,706 as of 2023.
Economy
be 37.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malta, that number is 2.9% as of 2025.
be 36.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malta, however, that number is 16.7% as of 2021.
make 49.4% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Malta, the GDP per capita is $47,907 as of 2025.
Life
be 8.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malta, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Malta, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 20.6% fewer children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malta, there are 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.3% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malta spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 99.2% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Malta, that number is 197 km.
Safety
be 22.2% less likely to be murdered
Norway has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 26.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malta, they kill 1.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 35.6 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malta withdraws 73% as of 2022.
use 78.8% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malta uses 5,013 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 55.7% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malta emits 3.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malta, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Norway vs. Malta
Malta: At a glance
How big is Malta compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.