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Malta

40.6 Early Autumn #155 of 217 · MLT · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · High income · Data: 7/7
What's Driving the Score
Base CCI (7 indicators weighted) 35.2
Hidden extraction (shadow economy, employer burden) +5.4
Total CCI 40.6
Development Context
GDP per capita: $43,899
Actual spending: 33.7% GDP
Expected (Wagner): 33.2% GDP
Indicator Breakdown
Each indicator is normalized to 0-100. Higher = more late-cycle pressure. The composite CCI is a weighted average plus adjustments.
Spending
33.7% GDP 47.4 2023
Debt
46.9% GDP 23.4 2024
Growth
3.9% 40.7 2024
Migration
11.12/1000 22.2 2024
Governance
0.53 39.5 2024
Fiscal Pressure
3.5% of revenue 7.0 2024
Demographic
Fert: 1.01 | Dep: 30.3% 59.0 2024
Spending (18% weight) - Total general government expenditure as % of GDP. Source: IMF WEO. Range: 10% (lean) to 60% (heavy state). Higher spending = further in the cycle.
Debt (14%) - Gross government debt as % of GDP. Source: IMF WEO. Range: 0-200%. Debt accumulation is how states finance extraction beyond revenue.
Growth (15%) - Average real GDP per capita growth over 5 years. Source: IMF WEO / World Bank. Inverted: low or negative growth signals extraction is suffocating the productive economy.
Migration (10%) - Net migration rate per 1000 population. Source: UN Population Division via World Bank. Inverted: people leaving is the most honest indicator - they vote with their feet.
Governance (18%) - Composite of control of corruption, government effectiveness, rule of law, and regulatory quality. Source: World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators. Inverted: poor governance = extraction without accountability.
Fiscal Pressure (13%) - Interest payments as % of government revenue. Source: World Bank WDI. When interest consumes revenue, the state must tax more, borrow more, or print - the death spiral mechanism.
Demographic (12%) - Composite of fertility rate (below replacement = future worker shortage) and old-age dependency ratio (more retirees per worker = more fiscal pressure). Trajectory signal - affects the cycle in 20-30 years.
Hidden Extraction
Shadow Economy 29.4% GDP
Social Contributions 15.3% rev
Self-Employment 13.9%
Spending-Revenue Gap 9.5% GDP
Total Hidden Adjustment +5.4 pts
Official spending data understates real extraction. These proxies estimate what's hidden:
Shadow Economy - % of GDP operating outside formal taxation. Source: IMF WP 18/17 (Medina-Schneider). Brazil at 35% means a third of the economy is escaping formal taxation - but citizens still pay through embedded costs.
Social Contributions - Employer payroll burden as % of government revenue. Hidden from workers' payslips. A 22% figure means significant extraction happens before workers see their salary.
Self-Employment - High rates signal people fleeing formal employment because the extraction burden makes it unprofitable. Informal/self-employed workers still pay consumption taxes.
Spending-Revenue Gap - Difference between what the state spends and what it collects as formal tax. The gap is funded by hidden channels: forced savings (e.g. FGTS in Brazil), state enterprises, parastatal organizations, or money printing.
CCI Trajectory (2000-2026) +5.3 pts over 26 years
Spring E.Sum M.Sum L.Sum E.Aut M.Aut L.Aut E.Win 0 20 40 60 80 100 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2026 35.3 44.1 38.6 35.1 58.8 40.6 data 7/7 0/7
Historical CCI computed from available indicators per year (spending, growth, governance, fiscal pressure, demographics). Not all 7 indicators are available for every year - early data points use fewer indicators. The trend direction matters more than absolute values.
Nearest Countries by CCI Score
# Country CCI Season Delta Data
154 Burkina Faso 40.6 Early Autumn +0.0 7/7
153 Fiji 40.7 Early Autumn +0.1 7/7
156 Gambia, The 40.5 Early Autumn -0.1 5/7
157 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 40.4 Early Autumn -0.2 7/7
158 Ethiopia 40.2 Early Autumn -0.4 7/7