VALLETTA, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Despite significant progress in reducing the rate of early leavers from education and training (ELET) over the past six years, Malta still lags behind many European countries, according to data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Tuesday.
In 2023, Malta's ELET rate was 10.2 percent, marking a decrease of 3.8 percentage points compared to 2018. However, this figure remains above the European Union (EU) average of 9.5 percent among its 27 member states.
The NSO report also highlighted positive trends in other educational metrics. In 2023, the percentage of adults aged 25 to 64 participating in lifelong learning in Malta was 3.6 percentage points higher than the EU average. Additionally, 86.7 percent of individuals aged 20 to 24 attained at least an upper secondary level of education, surpassing the EU average by 2.6 percentage points.
While Malta continues to face challenges in reducing early school leaving, the country's labor market has experienced strong growth, particularly in the 15-64 age group. The activity rate for this cohort increased from 74.1 percent in 2018 to 80.7 percent in 2023. This growth has been largely driven by rising female participation in the workforce, with the female activity rate climbing by 9.7 percentage points during the same period.
The NSO also attributed the robust employment growth over the past six years primarily to the expansion of the service sector, while the manufacturing and agriculture sectors have remained relatively stable in terms of employment share between 2018 and 2023.
Unemployment in Malta has steadily declined, with the rate falling to 3.5 percent in 2023, according to the NSO report.
