Average household income rose sharply.
Documentary fact. Average gross monthly pay rose from €1,300 in 2013 to ~€2,146 in Q4 2025 — a 65% nominal increase. Cumulative HICP inflation over the same period is approximately 25-28%, leaving real wages up roughly 30-35% over the decade. NSO EU-SILC median household disposable income tracks similarly upward. 'Sharply' is well-supported in nominal terms; in real terms it's a clear-but-more-modest rise.
Documentary fact. Average gross monthly pay rose from €1,300 in 2013 to ~€2,146 in Q4 2025 — a 65% nominal increase. Cumulative HICP inflation over the same period is approximately 25-28%, leaving real wages up roughly 30-35% over the decade. NSO EU-SILC median household disposable income tracks similarly upward. 'Sharply' is well-supported in nominal terms; in real terms it's a clear-but-more-modest rise.
We tested Abela's claim against (1) NSO Malta Labour Force Survey average gross monthly pay series, (2) Eurostat earnings statistics for Malta, (3) Eurostat HICP inflation series for Malta 2013-2025, and (4) Eurostat EU-SILC median household disposable income data.
True. Average gross monthly pay in Malta rose from €1,300 in 2013 to approximately €2,146 in Q4 2025 — a 65% nominal increase. Cumulative HICP inflation over the same period is approximately 25-28% (with the bulk of the inflation increase concentrated in the 2022-2023 spike), leaving real wages up roughly 30-35% over the decade. NSO EU-SILC median household disposable income has tracked similarly upward. 'Sploda 'l fuq' (exploded upward) is rhetorical intensification, but the directional 'sharply' claim is well-supported. Limitations: 'household income' is a different unit from 'individual wages' — household-level disposable income reflects employment-rate gains, dual-income trends, and benefit-system changes in addition to wage growth. The headline 'sharp rise' point is supported across all reasonable readings; the precise multiplier depends on which series and which deflator are used.
Did average Maltese household income really rise sharply
Abela's 'household income exploded upward' is rhetorical intensification of a real underlying data point.
The wage trajectory
Average gross monthly pay (NSO Labour Force Survey):
From €1,300/month in 2013 to ~€2,146/month in Q4 2025 is a 65% nominal increase. Cumulative HICP inflation across the same window is ~25-28%, leaving real wages up roughly 30-35% over the decade. EU-SILC household disposable income tracks similarly.
'Sharply' is supported. Whether 'exploded' is the right word is a stylistic question — most economists would say 'rose strongly'. Either way, the underlying data is on Abela's side.
Verdict: True.