Malta is EU's second most optimistic country on the economy

Malta has emerged as one of the European Union's most economically optimistic countries, according to the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer survey. At a time when nearly half of Europeans (49%) describe their national economic situation negatively, 76% of Maltese respondents say Malta's economy is in a good state.

Only Luxembourg ranks higher, with 85% of its citizens expressing confidence in their national economy. At the other end of the scale, Greece and Latvia are the EU's most pessimistic countries, with just 13% of respondents in each country viewing their economies favourably.

Lowest levels of financial strain in the EU

The findings suggest Malta has remained remarkably resilient despite widespread European concerns over the rising cost of living.

Just 10% of Maltese respondents reported difficulties meeting everyday expenses such as housing, food and transport—the lowest rate recorded across the EU. This compares with an EU average of 32%, while Greece (46%), Ireland (40%) and Portugal (36%) registered the highest levels of financial strain.

Housing affordability, a growing source of anxiety across Europe, also appears to weigh less heavily on Maltese households. While 45% of Portuguese respondents and 42% of Irish respondents fear they could struggle to meet rent or mortgage payments over the coming year, Malta ranks among the least anxious member states.

Financial security extends beyond essential spending. Only 20% of Maltese households said they struggle to afford leisure activities, while just 18% reported difficulties setting aside money for emergencies, placing Malta among the least financially vulnerable countries in the Union.

Malta leads Europe in optimism for the next generation

Maltese respondents were also the most hopeful about the future prospects of today's children.

While 45% of Europeans expect the next generation to enjoy a lower standard of living than their parents, Malta recorded the highest level of intergenerational optimism in the EU. Seven out of ten respondents (70%) believe today's children will enjoy a higher standard of living than previous generations.

France emerged as the most pessimistic country on this measure, with 56% expecting children to be worse off than their parents.

Strong faith in Malta and Europe

Confidence in Malta's future also extends to perceptions of competitiveness.

Around 84% of Maltese respondents expressed confidence in Malta's ability to compete in the global economy. At the same time, 82% said they were confident in the EU economy's capacity to remain globally competitive—the highest level of trust in the Union.

Support for the European project was particularly pronounced. An overwhelming 94% of Maltese respondents regarded EU membership as a net economic benefit, the highest proportion among all 27 member states.

Similarly, Malta topped the rankings for support for closer economic cooperation, with 89% agreeing that stronger collaboration between EU countries would improve national economic performance.

The Maltese also registered the highest average support (85%) for a range of competitiveness measures, including investment in research and development and support for artificial intelligence technologies.

Yet the survey also highlighted areas of concern. Malta recorded the highest share of respondents—44%—who believe the EU is doing too little to strengthen Europe's defence industry.

Despite the prevailing optimism, unemployment remains a notable worry. Malta ranked third highest in the EU for concern about joblessness, with 33% citing unemployment as a major issue, significantly above the EU average of 24%.

How the survey was conducted

The findings are drawn from Flash Eurobarometer FL015EP, commissioned by the European Parliament and conducted by the research firm Demoscopy.

Fieldwork took place between 24 March and 1 April 2026 and surveyed representative samples of residents aged 15 and over in all 27 EU member states.

The study used Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI), drawing respondents from pre-recruited online panels. In Malta, 501 interviews were completed.

Results were weighted according to gender, age, education level and region of residence to ensure they accurately reflected the population. For a sample of around 500 respondents, the survey's margin of error does not exceed ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.