Military profile
Malta Military Strength
Malta is not covered by the Global Firepower ranking. It spent $125 million on its military in 2025 (0.4% of GDP).
Malta armed forces in numbers
Finance
- Military spending
- $125 million#134 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.4%#147 of 156
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Malta military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Malta grew by 112% between 2010 and 2025, from $59 million to $125 million (current US dollars), and stood at 0.4% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Malta
Branches and forces
the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM): Land Component (combat, combat support, and combat service support divided into three regiments), Maritime Squadron, Air Wing; Volunteer Reserve Force (2025)
Personnel
approximately 2,000 active Armed Forces of Malta (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-30 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription (2026)
Equipment and suppliers
the military has a small inventory of armaments from a mix of European countries, particularly Italy, and the US (2025)
Good to know
the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) are responsible for external security but also have some domestic security responsibilities; the AFM’s primary roles include maintaining the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, monitoring and policing its territorial waters, participating in overseas peacekeeping and stability operations, and providing search and rescue and explosive ordnance disposal capabilities; secondary missions include assisting civil authorities during emergencies, supporting the police and other security services, and providing ceremonial and other public support duties Malta maintains a security policy of neutrality but contributes to EU, Organization for the Security and Cooperation (OSCE), and UN military missions and joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1995 (suspended in 1996, but reactivated in 2008); it also participates in various bilateral and multinational military exercises; Malta cooperates closely with Italy on defense matters; in 1973, Italy established a military mission in Malta to provide advice, training, and search and rescue assistance (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 0.5% · 2023: 0.5% · 2022: 0.7% · 2021: 0.5% · 2020: 0.6%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).