TomTom Traffic Index 2025: Malta ranked 2nd globally for congestion (45.1%), behind only Colombia (48.8%).
Full analysis
The claim in context
The Nationalist Party highlighted on 13 February 2026 that the TomTom Traffic Index 2025 ranked Malta the second-most congested country in the world — behind only Colombia — and used the ranking to argue government transport solutions had "solved nothing."
What the TomTom Index shows
Drivers in the Valletta area lost 94 hours to peak-hour traffic over 2025 — nearly four hours more than the previous year. TomTom attributes Malta's exceptional ranking to the absence of high-speed motorway networks that typically offset urban congestion in larger countries. Almost all driving in Malta happens on urban or arterial roads, so the entire national average is dominated by city congestion.
Bottom line
The TomTom 2025 ranking is unambiguous: Malta is the second-most congested country in the world by the index methodology. Verdict: True.
Sources
- TomTom — Traffic Index 2025 — Malta www.tomtom.com
- Newsbook — Malta ranks 2nd globally for traffic congestion newsbook.com.mt
- Malta Independent — Malta tops European ranking for traffic www.independent.com.mt