Estimates on participation in compulsory education
Academic year 2024-2025
Salient Points
- The NSO is publishing flash estimates that offer early insights into education trends while maintaining methodological rigor. Although preliminary, these figures provide valuable insight before final statistics are available.
- 51,002 students attended compulsory schooling during the academic year that has just ended. More than half of these students were in primary school level (excluding kindergarten) – 54 per cent.
- The majority of students in compulsory education attended State-run institutions – 57 per cent. 30 per cent attended Church-run institutions while the remaining 14 per cent attended independent schools.
Introduction
Official statistics on formal education are compiled and processed annually by the NSO in accordance with European Regulations (EC) 452/2008 and (EU) 912/2013. These regulations establish the framework for the collection of educational data across all levels and types of institutions, ensuring that the statistics produced are standardised and comparable with those of other EU countries. The data collection process occurs each year in April, with the reference cut-off being the end of March of the corresponding academic year. This timeline ensures that data reflect the most up-to-date enrolment figures and institutional characteristics at the time of reporting. With the aim of providing more current statistical indications on enrolment in mandatory education, the NSO is publishing flash estimates that provide an initial snapshot of trends prior to the release of final and fully validated statistics become available.
Results
During the academic year 2024/2025, over 51,000 students were enrolled in compulsory schooling across the primary and secondary levels of education. Over the past five academic years, the total number of students following compulsory schooling has been on the increase. Academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 were two years which saw a larger increase in enrolled students when compared with the previous respective academic years – with increases of 883 and 743 students respectively. An increase of between 300 and 350 students is observed in the number of students enrolled during the academic year under review (Chart 1).
Chart 1. Students¹ enrolled in compulsory education by academic year and year-on-year increase
Of the estimated 51,002 students, 54.4 per cent were in primary school classes (between Year 1 and Year 6). More than a quarter – 27.4 per cent – enrolled in lower secondary school (between Year 7 and Year 9), while 18.1 per cent enrolled in upper secondary classes (Year 10 and Year 11) (Chart 2).
Chart 2. Distribution of enrolled students¹ by education level and academic year
1 Includes students attending primary and secondary education only, and excludes kindergarten.
p Provisional
On average, 4,637 students were enrolled in every class level of compulsory schooling, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Provisional number of students¹ enrolled during academic year 2024-2025 by class level
| Class level | No. of students |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4,463 |
| Year 2 | 4,610 |
| Year 3 | 4,587 |
| Year 4 | 4,706 |
| Year 5 | 4,729 |
| Year 6 | 4,671 |
| Year 7 | 4,604 |
| Year 8 | 4,681 |
| Year 9 | 4,705 |
| Year 10 | 4,520 |
| Year 11 | 4,726 |
Total number of enrolled students: 51,002
1 Includes students attending primary and secondary education only, and excludes kindergarten.
p Provisional
As with previous years, the majority of students in compulsory education during academic year 2024/2025 were enrolled in State-run schools (56.8 per cent), while 29.7 per cent were enrolled in Church-run institutions. 13.6 per cent of students were enrolled in independently-run schools (Chart 3).
Chart 3. Distribution of enrolled students¹ by type of school
Academic year: 2024-2025 p
1 Includes students attending primary and secondary education only, and excludes kindergarten.
p Provisional
Although Maltese students consistently represent the majority of the student body within compulsory schooling, its percentage has declined slightly over time, from 86.8 per cent in 2019/2020 to 84.2 per cent in 2022-2023. Conversely, students of foreign citizenship have seen a gradual increase, from 13.2 per cent in 2019-2020 to 15.8 per cent in 2022-2023 (Chart 4). If the trend observed during the four previous academic years is maintained, the proportion of Maltese students is expected to decline slightly, while the proportion of foreign students is expected to increase. However, these trends may be influenced by external factors, including policy changes or demographic shifts which can be analysed in more detail once finalised data is published.
Chart 4. Distribution of students attending compulsory education by broad citizenship
Methodological Notes
- The National Statistics Office (NSO) is responsible for collecting, processing, and publishing education statistics in line with national and European legal frameworks. Under the Malta Statistics Authority Act (Cap. 422), the NSO is authorised to produce official statistics on key areas, including education, ensuring accurate and accessible data for policymakers. It also aligns with European Union regulations, such as Regulation (EC) No. 223/2009 and the European Statistics Code of Practice, maintaining methodological consistency across Member States. This dual framework enables Malta’s education statistics to serve both national and EU-wide needs, supporting evidence-based decision-making and international comparability. Tracking compulsory education participation is crucial for assessing a country’s mandatory education sector and ensuring children have access to basic education, while also contributing to international benchmarks like Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4).
- Providing timely, high-quality education data is challenging due to the integration of multiple data sources with varying reporting schedules and methodologies. Traditionally, the NSO publishes its annual education statistics at the start of academic year n+2, meaning data for 2022/2023 is released in Q3 of 2024. This delay can hinder timely decision-making in compulsory education. To address this, the NSO is releasing provisional figures for the first time, providing a timely estimate of student participation and bridging the gap between final validated data and the need for current insights.
- Provisional figures published in this document will be revised after undergoing a rigorous verification process to ensure accuracy and detail. Compiling data within tight timeframes can lead to trade-offs between speed and precision, meaning these estimates inherently carry a margin of error and are subject to revision as more comprehensive data is collected.
- The methodology applied is based on the concept of ceteris paribus to project for unavailable data based on past trends while assuming that other contextual factors remain unchanged. When applying this foresight method, historical final data covering academic years 2019/2020 – 2022/2023 and provisional data for academic years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 is used to estimate future trends under the assumption that key influencing factors, such as socio-economic conditions, migratory behaviour or policy environments, will remain consistent. However, one must also acknowledge the limitation of such an assumption given that conditions affecting enrolment in compulsory education can be somewhat dynamic and unforeseen changes can alter the accuracy of these forecasts. Such changes which can affect may include changes in educational policy, opening of new classes or schools, or changes in migration trends.
- Table 2 provides an overview of data availability and validation status across different academic years and sectors. For the academic years 2019/2020 to 2022/2023, the data for the three sectors – State, church and independent – is final. However, for the academic years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, the data is provisional, indicating that they are still undergoing processing and validation. Notably, the data for academic year 2024/2025 are based on preliminary calculations or projections rather than fully collected and processed information. Users should be informed that provisional data and estimates should be used with caution due to their inherent uncertainty, as outlined in the previous paragraphs.
Table 2: Availability and used data sources as at February 2025
| Academic year | Sector of school | |
|---|---|---|
| State | Non-State | |
| 2019/2020 | Validated and published data | Validated and published data |
| 2020/2021 | Validated and published data | Validated and published data |
| 2021/2022 | Validated and published data | Validated and published data |
| 2022/2023 | Validated and published data | Validated and published data |
| 2023/2024 | Provisional Data Data still being processed. |
Provisional Data Data still being processed. |
| 2024/2025 |
Provisional data. Data still being processed. |
Estimate |
Note: Non-state includes both Church-run and independently-run educational institutions.
- The methodology for projecting and producing flash estimates relies on the year-on-year Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR), applied to a specific cohort to ensure consistency in trend analysis. This approach accounts for observed patterns in enrolment growth while incorporating adjustments for significant variations at specific points, such as the increase typically recorded at Year 7 in church-run schools. Additionally, the methodology provides for the inclusion of new entries resulting from the establishment of new classes or the opening of new schools within the current academic year. By integrating historical trends with known structural changes, this approach ensures that projections remain both data-driven and responsive to evolving educational dynamics.
Notes and References
- Education statistics presented are processed by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on an annual basis in accordance with European Regulations (EC) 452/2008 and (EU) 912/2013. These regulations establish the basis of information to be collected from educational institutions at all levels of education and all types of institutions. By adhering to these regulations, all education statistics collected and processed by the NSO are comparable to other European countries following the same regulatory standards.
- Data collection is carried out annually in April. The reference period for the provided information is the end of March of the reference academic year. Provisional data for computing flash estimates was collected between December 2024 and February 2025.
- All information required for State administered educational institutions is obtained from register data provided directly from the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR). Questionnaires to pre-primary, primary and secondary non-State educational institutions are sent to the schools directly. Provisional data for the purpose of the computation of the flash estimates was collected between December 2024 and February 2025.
- Students enrolled in primary and secondary education are included. Figures include students enrolled in State, church and private institutions.
- Figures include students who attend special schools. Special schools are resource centres to support the inclusion of students with individual needs in all mainstream schools in Malta and Gozo.
- Definitions:
- Formal education is an institutionalised, intentional and planned type of education which is provided by public organisations and recognised private bodies. It consists primarily of initial education designed for children and young people before their first entry to the labour market. It also includes other types of education such as vocational, special needs and adult education provided they are recognised as part of the formal education system by the relevant national education authorities.
- Mandatory education in Malta is compulsory for all children and youths aged from five (5) to fifteen (15) years, both years inclusive, as defined in Chapter 605 of the Laws of Malta (The Education Act). Compulsory education covers six years of primary education followed by five years of secondary education.
- Class refers to a group of students who are physically following a common course of study in the same space.
- General education: Programmes that are designed to develop learners’ general knowledge, skills and competencies, as well as literacy and numeracy skills, often to prepare students for more advanced education programmes at the same or higher ISCED levels and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning.
- Totals/percentages may not add up due to rounding.
- The data in this dissemination product for academic years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 is provisional. Final figures for academic year 2023/2024 will be published in October 2025, and for academic year 2024/2025 in October 2026.
- References and further information:
- European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2008). Regulation (EC) No. 452/2008 on the production and development of statistics on education and lifelong learning. Official Journal of the European Union.
- European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2009). Regulation (EC) No. 223/2009 on European statistics. Official Journal of the European Union.
- European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2013). Regulation (EU) No. 912/2013 amending Regulation (EC) No. 452/2008 on the production and development of statistics on education and lifelong learning. Official Journal of the European Union.
- European Statistical System Committee (2017). European statistics code of practice. Eurostat.
- Malta Statistics Authority Act, Cap. 422 (2000).
- OECD (2001). OECD recommendation on good statistical practice.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2009). Education data plan: Guide to reporting international statistics (UIS/TD/09-02).
- References to this are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
- For further assistance send your request through our online request form.
