Malta ranked 31st out of 143 countries in the latest World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, falling one place from last year and marking its lowest position since joining the index in 2021. Although its overall score of 0.67 remained unchanged, Malta continues to lag behind the regional average of 0.73, despite performing better than the global average of 0.55.

The index assesses public perceptions and experiences across several areas, including constraints on government powers, corruption, justice systems, and order and security. Nordic countries-Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden-once again dominate the top rankings. Malta shares its position with Portugal and Cyprus, placing just ahead of Italy, Poland, and Barbados.

While Malta performs relatively well in areas such as fundamental rights and justice system accessibility, its results have worsened in several other categories. The country's ranking for constraints on government powers dropped from 39th to 43rd, reflecting weaknesses in holding officials accountable and in the effectiveness of legislative oversight. Similarly, Malta's ranking for absence of corruption slipped from 39th to 40th, continuing a decline from its peak of 29th in 2022.

Perceptions of corruption vary by sector: the police and judiciary are viewed relatively positively, while the executive and legislative branches score poorly. These results highlight persistent concerns over political accountability and transparency.

The civil and criminal justice systems perform well in accessibility, due process, and effective investigations. However, lengthy court delays continue to undermine public confidence, echoing concerns raised in other rule of law reports. Malta performs strongly in order and security, ranking 12th globally and 7th regionally, with a perfect score for the absence of civil conflict but slightly below-average results for crime control.

Conversely, Malta's open government score remains weak. The country ranks below both global and regional averages for right to information, civic participation, and government data transparency.

Overall, Malta has not improved its ranking in any of the seven fields assessed since joining the index in 2021, though it has made minor improvements in a few individual indicators. Compared with five years ago, it maintains the same standing in fundamental rights and criminal justice but has declined ten places in corruption perception and six places in constraints on government powers. These results suggest that while Malta performs respectably by global standards, it continues to face significant governance and accountability challenges within a regional context that demands higher standards.

Home Affairs Ministry statement

The Home Affairs Ministry issued a statement focused on Malta's Order and Security Score. It said that Malta has been ranked as the twelfth safest country in the world, out of 143 countries, and attributed this result to increasing and recurrent investments to promote security in the country, which has seen some of "the lowest crime rates in recent years."

In a statement published on Thursday, the Ministry praised this result by noting that crime rates have continued to drop in Malta in 2024. Interior Minister Byron Camilleri observed that, as indicated in Budget 2026, more investment in the disciplined forces is planned, and that since 2012, recurring investment into security has almost tripled; simultaneously, related capital investment has increased fivefold, the Minister said.

During a press conference, Minister Camilleri said that security and having "a safe Malta - a Malta that provides peace of mind" is a right that belongs to each and every one of us. He said that security, as a matter of order, is not just a matter of law but also a matter of trust between citizens and disciplinary bodies.

He acknowledged that this result does not mean to undermine the unsafe "realities" that exist across the Maltese islands, though it shows that "our country is [doing] much better than other countries in this area."

Minister Camilleri remarked that in 20 years, crime in Malta has reduced significantly from 46 cases per 1,000 people in 2004 to 30 cases per 1,000 people in 2024. He stated that Malta's low crime rate and the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index's report as "the best certificate" for the work done in this sector. The Security Minister stressed that Malta's security should go hand-in-hand with investment in workers who give their lives towards this purpose. He stated that the disciplined corps deserve "the best conditions" and that the government is committed to do this.

In this regard, Minister Camilleri commented that recurring expenditure in the security sector for next year will amount to €280 million - a notable increase from the €100 million allocated in 2012. He added that meanwhile, "capital expenditure will have increased fivefold." Talking about some related measures from this recent annual budget, Minister Camilleri mentioned a €9 million investment into new police stations and Police Force properties and infrastructure, including a garage and a dog unit; updating the police's information system through a €6 million project; modernising the police's fleet of vehicles; adding security cameras in strategic areas; €10 million towards new helicopters and aircrafts for the Armed Forces; strengthening working conditions with another incoming sectoral agreement for the Civil Protection Department, and more.