Malta Records Lowest Disability Rate In The EU

Malta recorded the lowest share of people reporting a disability in the European Union in 2025, according to new Eurostat data.

In Malta, 11% of people aged 16 and over said they experienced some or severe long-term limitations in their everyday activities because of a health problem.

To put that into perspective, the EU average was more than double Malta’s rate, at 24.2%. The highest shares were recorded in Latvia at 35.9%, Finland at 35% and Estonia at 34.1%.

But what does Eurostat mean by “disability” here?

For this data, Eurostat does not simply count people with an officially recognised disability. Instead, it looks at whether someone has had a health problem lasting at least six months that limits what they can normally do.

That could include difficulties with things like working, studying, moving around, doing tasks at home or taking part in everyday activities.

So, in simple terms, the figure asks: does a long-term health problem make normal daily life harder for you?

Based on that measure, Malta had the lowest reported rate in the EU, at 11%, followed by Bulgaria at 13.3%. Across the EU, women were also more likely than men to report these long-term limitations, at 26.5% compared to 21.8%.

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