GeoRealityMatch
Picturesque scenery of calm rippling sea water with boats near snowy forest trees located under evening sky with fluffy cloudsColorful aerial view of Malé, Maldives showcasing cityscape and ocean coastline.

Maldives

Asia · Southern Asia

Affordable cost of livingHigh development

People live long.

Safety
Homicides
0.6per 100,000 people a yearVery lowUNODC / World Bank · 2019
Safety index
47.6Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferModerateNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes above the median country

GNI per person
$12,950national income per person, US dollarsHigh
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
24.6New York = 100Very expensiveNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 191% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 45% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$15K$30K$28,555 PPP$14,615Inflation, % a year12%0200620102015202020252006, $5,019 a person, $12,075 at PPP, inflation 2.7%2007, $5,758 a person, $12,852 at PPP, inflation 6.8%2008, $6,757 a person, $13,779 at PPP, inflation 12%2009, $6,734 a person, $12,266 at PPP, inflation 4.5%2010, $7,174 a person, $12,797 at PPP, inflation 6.1%2011, $7,425 a person, $13,726 at PPP, inflation 11.3%2012, $7,461 a person, $13,989 at PPP, inflation 10.9%2013, $8,236 a person, $15,264 at PPP, inflation 3.8%2014, $8,939 a person, $16,723 at PPP, inflation 2.1%2015, $9,645 a person, $17,875 at PPP, inflation 1%2016, $9,948 a person, $18,770 at PPP, inflation 0.5%2017, $10,510 a person, $19,768 at PPP, inflation 2.8%2018, $11,423 a person, $21,899 at PPP, inflation -0.1%2019, $11,740 a person, $23,077 at PPP, inflation 0.2%2020, $7,394 a person, $13,425 at PPP, inflation -1.4%2021, $10,176 a person, $19,053 at PPP, inflation 0.5%2022, $11,786 a person, $22,877 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2023, $12,588 a person, $24,807 at PPP, inflation 2.9%2024, $13,379 a person, $26,221 at PPP, inflation 1.4%2025, $14,615 a person, $28,555 at PPP, inflation 4%$0$15K$30KInflation, % a year12%0200620102015202020252006, $5,019 a person, $12,075 at PPP, inflation 2.7%2007, $5,758 a person, $12,852 at PPP, inflation 6.8%2008, $6,757 a person, $13,779 at PPP, inflation 12%2009, $6,734 a person, $12,266 at PPP, inflation 4.5%2010, $7,174 a person, $12,797 at PPP, inflation 6.1%2011, $7,425 a person, $13,726 at PPP, inflation 11.3%2012, $7,461 a person, $13,989 at PPP, inflation 10.9%2013, $8,236 a person, $15,264 at PPP, inflation 3.8%2014, $8,939 a person, $16,723 at PPP, inflation 2.1%2015, $9,645 a person, $17,875 at PPP, inflation 1%2016, $9,948 a person, $18,770 at PPP, inflation 0.5%2017, $10,510 a person, $19,768 at PPP, inflation 2.8%2018, $11,423 a person, $21,899 at PPP, inflation -0.1%2019, $11,740 a person, $23,077 at PPP, inflation 0.2%2020, $7,394 a person, $13,425 at PPP, inflation -1.4%2021, $10,176 a person, $19,053 at PPP, inflation 0.5%2022, $11,786 a person, $22,877 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2023, $12,588 a person, $24,807 at PPP, inflation 2.9%2024, $13,379 a person, $26,221 at PPP, inflation 1.4%2025, $14,615 a person, $28,555 at PPP, inflation 4%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Among the longest-lived countries

Life expectancy
81.3years, at birthVery high
#37 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
71WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100ModerateWHO · 2023
Air pollution
10.1PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageLowWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Slow home internet

Unemployment rate
4.5%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
22 Mbpsmedian download speedSlowOokla Speedtest · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet22 MbpsSlow

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

Colorful aerial view of Malé, Maldives showcasing cityscape and ocean coastline.
How it changed

Maldives's Human Development Index

0.766High human development

93rd of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 21st of 43 in Asia.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #89Sri Lanka0.776
  2. #92Tonga0.769
  3. #93Maldives0.766
  4. #93Vietnam0.766
  5. #95Turkmenistan0.764
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 2000

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.639 in 2000 to 0.766 in 2023.

0.600.700.800.7662000201020232000: 0.6392001: 0.6392002: 0.6452003: 0.6542004: 0.6552005: 0.6572006: 0.6722007: 0.6722008: 0.6812009: 0.6822010: 0.6892011: 0.6982012: 0.7042013: 0.7102014: 0.7182015: 0.7252016: 0.7322017: 0.7392018: 0.7442019: 0.7492020: 0.7302021: 0.7452022: 0.7642023: 0.7660.600.700.802000201020232000: 0.6392001: 0.6392002: 0.6452003: 0.6542004: 0.6552005: 0.6572006: 0.6722007: 0.6722008: 0.6812009: 0.6822010: 0.6892011: 0.6982012: 0.7042013: 0.7102014: 0.7182015: 0.7252016: 0.7322017: 0.7392018: 0.7442019: 0.7492020: 0.7302021: 0.7452022: 0.7642023: 0.766

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 24 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
81.3 years2024at birthUp 6.5 years from 74.8 years in 2005
Internet users
85%2024of people onlineUp 74 points from 11% in 2006
Urban population
43%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 8 points from 35% in 2006
Births per woman
1.562024births per womanDown 0.64 from 2.20 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
1%2022of energy usedDown 1 point from 2% in 2004
Access to electricity
100%2024of people with electricityUp 9 points from 91% in 2005
Infant mortality
52024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 14 from 19 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
3.6 t2024of CO2 per person a yearUp 1.3 t from 2.2 t in 2005
Forest area
3%2023of land under forestLevel with 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

The world's most spectacular atolls; a tourism economy under rising sea-level threat. The case for living here is long lives.

About Maldives

The Maldives is an Indian Ocean archipelago of low coral atolls with some of the clearest, most turquoise water and finest diving and snorkelling conditions in the world. The overwater bungalow experience here is the original and still among the most extraordinary, and the marine life, from manta rays to whale sharks, is exceptional. Those seeking cultural depth or budget travel will find it limited, but for a pure oceanic escape it remains world-class.

Practical facts

  • CapitalMalé
  • LanguagesMaldivian
  • CurrencyMaldivian rufiyaa (MVR)
  • Area298 km²
  • Plug typeType C/D/G
  • Drives on theleft
Weigh Maldives against your priorities
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Everything we hold on Maldives

Quick answers

What is Maldives's Human Development Index?

Maldives's Human Development Index is 0.766 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #93 of 193 by UNDP.

How expensive is Maldives?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Maldives at 48.9 (New York = 100); that is #95 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Maldives?

Life expectancy at birth in Maldives is 81.3 yrs (World Bank), ranked #37 of 195 countries.