Around 15% of Malta's budget is capital expenditure, compared with 8 to 8.5% in the OECD.

Malta's 2027 budget puts a larger share of spending into capital projects than the OECD average, though by a little less than the speaker suggested.

Malta: 13.4% of the 2027 budget

Budget 2027	€ million
Recurrent expenditure	9,042.4
Interest on public debt	381.8
Capital expenditure	1,452.7
Total expenditure	10,877.0

Source: Ministry for Finance, Financial Estimates 2027, Statement of Public Finance.

Capital expenditure is 13.4% of total spending, or 13.8% if interest on the debt is left out. Both are below the 15% he gave, but he said "around" and that he was not sure of the figure. These are planned allocations for 2027, not what will actually be spent.

OECD: 8.3% in 2024

The OECD reports that government investment made up 8.3% of general government expenditure across its members in 2024, after 8.2% in 2023. Both fall within the 8 to 8.5% range he quoted.

The measures differ

Malta's figure is capital expenditure in the central government budget. The OECD's is investment across all of general government, and it leaves out capital transfers, which a budget's capital line can include. The two numbers point the same way but do not measure the gap on the same basis.

Evaluation

The OECD figure is right and Malta's share is close to his estimate, which he gave as approximate. The comparison he drew, that Malta puts a larger share of its budget into capital spending than the OECD average, holds. That is why the claim is rated True.