Malta among EU countries with lowest reported levels of work-related stress, depression or anxiety

Malta has emerged among the EU countries with the lowest reported levels of work-related stress, depression or anxiety, despite other research pointing towards considerable pressure and work intensity among the country’s workforce.

Figures shared by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) show that 23 per cent of workers in Malta reported experiencing stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by their work in 2025.

This places Malta below the EU average of 29 per cent and towards the bottom of the ranking. Only Bulgaria and Slovenia, both at 21 per cent, Germany at 20 per cent and Denmark at 19 per cent recorded lower rates.

At the other end of the spectrum, 49 per cent of workers in Greece reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety, followed by Finland at 45 per cent, Cyprus and Poland at 41 per cent, and Spain at 40 per cent.

The figures contrast with countries commonly associated with strong work-life balance. Denmark recorded the lowest rate in the EU, while Germany was second-lowest. However, the Netherlands, another country regularly ranked highly for work-life balance, stood slightly above the EU average at 30 per cent.

EESC calls for mental health to be treated like physical safety

The EESC said the figures highlight the need for mental health risks to be incorporated more systematically into occupational safety and health policies.

“Mental health at work must be treated as seriously as physical safety,” the Committee said, noting that almost three in 10 workers across the EU experienced stress, depression or anxiety caused or exacerbated by their jobs last year.

The European Parliament is currently pushing for new EU legislation addressing psychosocial risks at work. Proposed measures include regular workplace risk assessments, action against excessive workloads, harassment and bullying, and safeguards concerning algorithmic management.

The EESC said occupational safety and health systems should seek to protect workers’ physical, mental and social wellbeing, with workplace risk assessments covering psychosocial risks alongside more traditional physical hazards.

Its recommendations extend to workers regardless of their employment status or type of job, including subcontractors and remote workers.

The Committee has also called for closer cooperation between employers, workers, social partners and institutions, alongside stronger enforcement of occupational safety rules and sufficient resources for labour inspectorates.

As workplaces change, the EESC argues that risk assessments should also account for emerging issues including climate-related hazards and the effects of new technologies. While it sees potential for artificial intelligence to assist with risk monitoring and prevention, it has stressed the importance of transparency, data integrity and safeguards against bias.

Malta's figures tell a more complicated story

Malta's relatively low position in the EESC figures contrasts sharply with other recent indicators of workplace wellbeing.

Earlier this year, Gallup data showed that 57 per cent of workers in Malta reported feeling stressed, putting the country behind only Greece, at 61 per cent, among the European countries highlighted. Cyprus stood at 56 per cent, Italy at 51 per cent and Spain at 47 per cent.

The apparent discrepancy is important because the surveys are not measuring the same thing. The EESC figure specifically concerns stress, depression or anxiety that workers say was caused or made worse by work, whereas Gallup's measure concerns workers experiencing stress more generally. The figures should therefore not be read as directly contradictory.