Lisa Cassar Shaw
Malta has earned the right to speak about its economy with confidence. In recent years, our country has built a record of resilience and steady progress which is recognised not only locally but internationally.
At a time when uncertainty has shaped much of the global conversation, Malta has continued to stand out as one of the stronger-performing economies in Europe, with the European Commission still expecting solid growth, inflation to slow further and describing the labour market as tight.
But the real value of this success is not simply that Malta has grown. It is that Malta has shown that a small country can be agile, competitive and ambitious in the way it builds its future.
Our economic story reflects an economy that has evolved over time, one that combines a strong tourism offer with internationally oriented services, digital activity, professional expertise and an entrepreneurial mindset that has helped Malta remain dynamic in a fast-changing world.
The IMF has pointed to Malta’s rapid expansion over the past decade, with per capita income nearly doubling since 2013, and economic growth averaging close to 7% annually driven largely by services including tourism, gaming and professional services.
This matters because economic strength is never just about macroeconomic performance. It is about what that strength makes possible in people’s lives.
A healthy economy gives people confidence. It supports work and aspiration. It allows businesses to plan, families to look ahead and young people to believe that opportunity exists here in Malta too. When an economy remains active and resilient, that is felt not only in boardrooms or official reports, but in the everyday experience of people who want security, progress and the chance to move forward.
At the same time, success should not lead to complacency. It should lead to focus.
The next chapter of Malta’s economy must be about focused and targeted growth, and a stronger sense of what kind of country we want to build in the years ahead.
That is why Malta Vision 2050 matters. Its significance lies in the fact that it places long-term thinking at the centre of the discussion and links economic progress to a wider ambition: stronger resilience, better quality of life and a more sustainable national model for the future. It is a long-term effort to improve quality of life, strengthen economic and social foundations, and ensure future generations inherit a country that is resilient, dynamic and full of opportunity.
Malta has already shown that it can create growth. It has already shown that it can compete, adapt and attract opportunity. The task now is to build on that success by continuing to invest in the things that will matter most in the next phase of our development: skills, innovation, long-term planning and the conditions that allow quality enterprise to flourish.
This is how economic progress becomes something deeper and more durable. It becomes not just a story of performance, but a story of national direction.
Malta’s progress is real. It has been earned. And it should give us confidence.
The responsibility now is to ensure that this success continues to translate into a better quality of life, broader opportunity and a future that is not only prosperous, but well prepared.
That is the next economic chapter Malta should now be writing.
Lisa Cassar Shaw is Chairperson, Older Person Standards Authority. She has a background in tourism and social science. Her doctoral research focused on individuals who were former business owners but involuntarily transitioned into paid employment.
