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The 10 imports Malta is best placed to replace.

Malta imported USD 5.5bn of manufactured goods in 2024 and exported USD 3.6bn. These are the 10 that sit closest to what it already makes well, with how concentrated the supply of each is.

USD 297mthe 10, imported in 2024
10products imported at scale, not yet exported well, and close to existing strengths
276products Malta already exports well
198public purchases of goods joined to a product family, from Tenders Electronic Daily (EU)
The 10

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, the nearest thing Malta already exports well, and how many countries make it. It does not say whether a plant in Malta would pay. That reason is not in any trade record, and it is the maker's question.

This edition carries public buyers from Tenders Electronic Daily (EU), 1,004 award notices from 2025-11-03 to 2026-11-02, joined to each product's customs heading through a crosswalk we authored. The buyers are shown as context and do not change the score, because award values in these records include framework ceilings and outliers that would distort it. The regional layer (where the capability sits) is built only where a country publishes regional trade by product, and Malta does not publish it in a form this record can read yet.

  1. 1

    Food preparations: bakers' wares n.e.c. in heading no. 1605, whether or not containing cocoa: communion wafers, empty...HS 190590

    Comes fromItaly 55%, 67 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFood preparations: n.e.c. in item no. 2106.10 (exports USD 79m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 4m; 1 more line in the heading, USD 15m
    Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product family

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 49m, top 8 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 19 per cent (2); Italy supplies 55 per cent (1).

    USD 49mup 38% on 2022
  2. 2

    Ink: for printing, other than black, whether or not concentrated or solidHS 321519

    Comes fromFrance 85%, 31 source countries
    Nearest export strengthMedicaments: consisting of mixed or unmixed products n.e.c. in... (exports USD 585m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 498k
    Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product family

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 36m, top 18 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 48 per cent (1); France supplies 85 per cent (2).

    USD 36mup 6% on 2022
  3. 3

    Cigarettes: containing tobaccoHS 240220

    Comes fromGreece 44%, 18 source countries
    Nearest export strengthWaters: including mineral and aerated, containing added sugar or... (exports USD 9m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 23k
    Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product family

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 39m, top 13 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 38 per cent (1); Greece supplies 44 per cent (1).

    USD 39mup 8% on 2022
  4. 4

    Cement: portland, other than white, whether or not artificially colouredHS 252329

    Comes fromItaly 54%, 8 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 1k
    Public buyers in the family11 awards from 4 buyers. Most frequent: Sectoral Procurement Directorate

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 38m, top 14 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 38 per cent (1); Italy supplies 54 per cent (1).

    USD 38mup 6% on 2022
  5. 5

    Cosmetic and toilet preparations: n.e.c. in heading no. 3304, for the care of the skin (excluding medicaments...HS 330499

    Comes fromFrance 26%, 97 source countries
    Nearest export strengthMedicaments: consisting of mixed or unmixed products n.e.c. in... (exports USD 585m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 5m
    Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product family

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 32m, top 20 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 22 per cent (2).

    USD 32mup 55% on 2022
  6. 6

    Insulated electric conductors: for a voltage not exceeding 1000 volts, not fitted with connectorsHS 854449

    Comes fromTurkey 53%, 50 source countries
    Nearest export strengthElectrical apparatus: relays, for a voltage exceeding 60 volts (exports USD 6m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 1m; 1 more line in the heading, USD 26m
    Public buyers in the family2 awards from 2 buyers. Most frequent: Sectoral Procurement Directorate

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 26m, top 25 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 43 per cent (1); Turkey supplies 53 per cent (1).

    USD 26mup 10% on 2022
  7. 7

    Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, containing indentations, ribs, grooves...HS 721420

    Comes fromItaly 81%, 8 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 1m
    Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product family

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 24m, top 32 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 42 per cent (1); Italy supplies 81 per cent (2).

    USD 24mdown 44% on 2022
  8. 8

    Wine: still, in containers holding 2 litres or lessHS 220421

    Comes fromItaly 59%, 41 source countries
    Nearest export strengthVermouth and other wine of fresh grapes, flavoured with plants or... (exports USD 361k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 223k
    Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product family

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 23m, top 34 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 50 per cent (1); Italy supplies 59 per cent (1).

    USD 23mup 6% on 2022
  9. 9

    Washing and cleaning preparations: powders, flakes and granules, surface-active, whether or not containing soap...HS 340250

    Comes fromItaly 51%, 44 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 158k
    Public buyers in the family2 awards from 1 buyer. Most frequent: Department of Contracts

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 18m, top 47 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 34 per cent (1); Italy supplies 51 per cent (1).

    USD 18mup 27% on 2022
  10. 10

    Meat preparations: sausages and similar products, of meat, meat offal, blood or insects, and food preparations based...HS 160100

    Comes fromItaly 67%, 23 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFood preparations: mixes and doughs for the preparation of bread... (exports USD 5m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 78k
    Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product family

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 13m, top 76 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Malta's export strengths in the top 27 per cent (1); Italy supplies 67 per cent (2).

    USD 13mup 33% on 2022

The bill and its path, the sources and their unit values, who exports the line well, the nearest strengths, the public buyers where a country publishes them, and the method. We reply by email. Privacy

One line per customs heading. Products Malta already exports well and still imports are below, because they are a different conversation. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.

Made here already, still imported

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

  • Aircraft and spacecraft: parts of aeroplanes, helicopters or unmanned aircraft... imports USD 64m, exports USD 28m, top source United States 34%
  • Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803): printing, writing or... imports USD 39m, exports USD 5m, top source Germany 29%
  • Paper and paperboard: coated, impregnated or covered with plastics (excluding... imports USD 42m, exports USD 8m, top source Sweden 98%
  • Engines: for aircraft, spark-ignition reciprocating or rotary internal... imports USD 25m, exports USD 2m, top source Saudi Arabia 99%
  • Waters: including mineral and aerated, containing added sugar or other... imports USD 22m, exports USD 9m, top source Italy 47%
  • Garments made up of knitted or crocheted fabrics of heading no. 5903, 5906 and... imports USD 16m, exports USD 2m, top source China 82%
  • Media n.e.c. in heading 8523, whether or not recorded, excluding products of... imports USD 13m, exports USD 2m, top source Thailand 96%
  • Air conditioning machines: comprising a motor-driven fan and elements for... imports USD 22m, exports USD 12m, top source China 71%
  • Wrist-watches: (not electrically operated), automatic winding, whether or not... imports USD 15m, exports USD 6m, top source France 86%
  • Ethers: acyclic, and their halogenated, sulphonated, nitrated or nitrosated... imports USD 25m, exports USD 19m, top source Saudi Arabia 100%
How the 10 were chosen

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

Import bill, 0 to 3, by percentile among the 96 lines imported at USD 10m or more: above the median one point, top quarter two, top tenth three.

Proximity to export strengths, 0 to 3, on the same percentiles: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. Only products in the upper half for proximity can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.

Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.

Public buyers, context only, never scored: 1,004 award notices from Tenders Electronic Daily (EU), 2025-11-03 to 2026-11-02, of which 492 were classified by the buyer as goods and 198 joined to a product family through a crosswalk we authored, because no official one exists. Only notices whose code names a specific product group are joined; broad division codes are left out. The join is a family, not an exact line, and the counts are a floor.

Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels and precious metals. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a page about manufacture.

What it cannot tell you

A map of where to look.

Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. The world file reconciles what each pair of countries reports, so a national customs file would differ in detail. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.

Source: CEPII BACI, HS22, version 202601, years 2022 to 2024. Edition of 2026-11-03. The UK edition with its procurement and regional layers is at /made-here/.

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