Malta is underperforming in education.

Marisa Xuereb

Verdict Mostly true

In the OECD's PISA 2025 assessment, 48% of Malta's 15-year-olds fell below the minimum level in reading, against 31% across the OECD, with similar gaps in mathematics and science. Results fell in all three subjects compared with 2022, and Malta also trails the EU on digital skills. Two indicators point the other way: early school leaving fell to 8.6% in 2025, below the EU average, and more young adults hold a degree than the EU average.How we reached this verdict ↓

Analysis and evaluation

Malta trails the OECD and the EU on the measures that test what students can do. It has caught up, and in places moved ahead, on the measures that count how long people stay in education and what qualifications they hold.

PISA shows weak basic skills

The OECD's PISA 2025 assessment, published on 8 September 2026, tests how 15-year-olds apply what they know in reading, mathematics and science. In all three, a larger share of Malta's students fell below the minimum level of proficiency than across the OECD.

Subject	Malta	OECD average
Reading	48%	31%
Mathematics	44%	35%
Science	37%	26%

Share of 15-year-olds below Level 2, calculated as 100 minus the share at Level 2 or above, from the OECD's rounded figures. Source: OECD, PISA 2025 Results, Malta country note.

Malta's average scores fell in all three subjects compared with PISA 2022. Falling below Level 2 does not mean a student cannot read or count; it means they did not reach the assessment's benchmark for basic proficiency.

The gap shows up in digital skills too

In the 2023 international assessment of computer and information literacy, 52% of Malta's eighth-grade students were low achievers, against 43% across the participating EU countries. The European Commission's 2026 country report lists persistent weaknesses in basic and digital skills, along with teacher shortages and a mismatch between skills and what the labour market needs.

Where Malta has improved

Early school leaving fell to 8.6% in 2025, below the EU average of 9.1% and the EU's 2030 target of under 9%. Eurostat reports that Malta had the largest fall of any member state between 2015 and 2025. The indicator counts 18 to 24-year-olds who have at most a lower secondary education and are no longer studying or training.

Among 25 to 34-year-olds, 47.5% held a tertiary qualification in 2025, above the EU average of 44.8%. This counts qualifications held by people living in Malta, including those who studied abroad.

EU averageMalta

Share of each age group, 2025. Lower is better for early school leaving, higher is better for tertiary attainment. Source: Eurostat, datasets edat_lfse_14 and edat_lfse_03; Ministry for Education.

Evaluation

On what students can do, the claim holds: Malta is behind the OECD and the EU in reading, mathematics, science and digital skills, and its PISA results have fallen since 2022. On staying in education and gaining qualifications, Malta now matches or beats the EU average. The claim is accurate on learning outcomes but broader than the evidence, which is why it is rated Mostly true.

Editorial note

How we assessed this claim

We read "underperforming in education" as a comparison of Malta's results with the OECD and EU averages. We used PISA for basic skills, the European Commission's Education and Training Monitor for digital skills, and Eurostat for early school leaving and tertiary attainment.

Mostly true, because Malta trails both benchmarks on every measure of what students can actually do. The claim is broader than the evidence, though: on staying in education and holding qualifications, Malta is now level with or ahead of the EU.

Limitations

The indicators cover different years and age groups, from 15-year-olds in PISA 2025 to 25 to 34-year-olds in Eurostat's attainment data.
Tertiary attainment counts qualifications held by residents, including those educated abroad, so it is not purely a measure of Maltese schools and universities.
National averages hide differences between schools and between students. They show a gap, not its cause.