Browse a full set of economic indicators

Maldives

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about The Maldives economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. 

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential republic

Capital City: Male

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Maldives Monetary Authority
Currency Rufiyaa (MVR)
International Reserves USD 0.7 billion (2018 estimate)
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 5.3 billion (2018 estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 8.0 billion (2018 estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2014 7.3%
2015 2.9%
2016 7.3%
2017* 6.9%
2018* 7%

*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 14,500.5 (2018, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 21,759.9 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 0.006% (2019, estimate)
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 5.6%
industry: 12.8%
services: 67.4%
(2017 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2014 1.9%
2015 0.8%
2016 2.3%
2017* 1.4%
2018* 1.5%

*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2014 1.9%
2015 0.8%
2016 2.3%
2017* 1.4%
2018* 1.5%

*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings
Standard & Poor’s: N/A

Moody’s : B2

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s (Updated January 2017)
Unemployment rate N/A
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2014 53.3%
2015 59.4%
2016 61.6%
2017* 68%
2018* 70.1%

*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2014 -6.8%
2015 -8.8%
2016 -3.1%
2017* -4.6%
2018* -5%

*Estimate

Market value of publicly traded shares N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 67.6% (2017)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.002% (2018)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.06% (2018)
Total exports USD 3.6 billion (2018 estimate)
Export commodities Fish
Total imports USD 4.1 billion (2018 estimate)
Import commodities Petroleum products, clothing, intermediate and capital goods
Exports – major partners Thailand 42.8%, Sri Lanka 8.7%, Bangladesh 6.4%, France 6.2%, US 6.1%, Germany 5%, Ireland 4.6% (2017)
Imports – major partners UAE 17.1%, India 13.5%, Singapore 13.3%, China 10.8%, Sri Lanka 6.7%, Malaysia 6%, Thailand 4.5% (2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -1.3 billion (2018 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP -25.3% (2018 estimate)
FDI inflows 2016 USD 457 million
2017 USD 493 million
2018 USD 552 million
FDI Outflows N/A
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser N/A


United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking: 147 out of 190 countries (2019)

Subcategories:

Starting a Business: 74 out of 190 countries

Dealing with Construction Permits: 63 out of 190 countries

Getting Electricity: 149 out of 190 countries

Registering Property: 176 out of 190 countries

Getting Credit: 144 out of 190 countries

Protecting Minority Investors: 147 out of 190 countries

Paying Taxes: 119 out of 190 countries

Trading across Borders: 157 out of 190 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 124 out of 190 countries

Resolving Insolvency: 141 out of 190 countries
Global competitiveness ranking N/A
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 141 / Score: 53.2 (Mostly unfree) (2019)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Total Area 298 sq km
Total Population 1990 0.21 Million
2000 0.27 Million
2010 0.32 Million
2015 0.35 Million
2020 0.38 Million
Urban population as % of total population 1960 11.2%
1980 22.3%
2000 27.7%
2020 39.8%
Population median age 28.6 years (2018 estimate)
Population growth rate -0.06% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 76 years (2018 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day N/A
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) N/A
Freedom House rating
Political Rights: 5
Civil Liberties: 5 (2019)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed 3.6% Mobile 166.4% (2018)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 63.19% (2017)

Language & Religon

Languages Dhivehi (official, dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English (spoken by most government officials)
Literacy Total population: 99.3%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 98.8% (2015 est.)

(age 15 and over can read and write)
Religions Sunni Muslim (official)

World Rankings

Population 0.38 million
Mercer Cost of living index N/A
C02 Emissions per capita 3.07 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: The Maldives

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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