Malta Among EU Countries Where Real Median Incomes Rose By At Least 50%

Malta has been highlighted in a new Eurostat report as one of the EU countries where median disposable income increased by at least 50% in real terms between 2010 and 2025.

But what does that actually mean?

Disposable income is basically the money a household has available after taxes and other compulsory payments, which can then be used for things like food, rent, bills, clothes, savings and going out.

The word “real” is important because Eurostat adjusts the figures for inflation. In simple terms, it looks at how much people’s income can actually buy, rather than just how much their income has increased.

So, if someone earned €20,000 in 2010 and €30,000 today, that does not automatically mean they are 50% better off. If food, rent and other everyday costs also became much more expensive, part of that pay rise is simply being eaten up by inflation.

Eurostat’s figures try to remove that effect.

The figures refer specifically to median equivalised disposable income, which takes household size into account. Across the EU, median disposable income increased by 25.4% in real terms between 2010 and 2025. Malta was among a smaller group of countries where the increase was at least 50%, alongside Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, Hungary and the three Baltic states.

Romania recorded the biggest increase of all, with real median income rising by 160.2%.

At the other end, Greece and France were the only EU countries where real median income actually fell over the same period, dropping by 22.3% and 0.6% respectively.

In short, Eurostat’s data suggests that median disposable income in Malta was significantly higher in real terms in 2025 than it was in 2010, even after taking rising prices into account.

#MaltaDaily