Maldives People - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

390,669 (July 2021 est.)

Nationality

noun: Maldivian(s)

adjective: Maldivian

Ethnic groups

homogeneous mixture of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, Australasian, and African resulting from historical changes in regional hegemony over marine trade routes

Languages

Dhivehi (official, dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English (spoken by most government officials)

Religions

Sunni Muslim (official)

Age structure

0-14 years: 22.13% (male 44,260/female 42,477)

15-24 years: 17.24% (male 37,826/female 29,745)

25-54 years: 48.91% (male 104,217/female 87,465)

55-64 years: 6.91% (male 12,942/female 14,123)

65 years and over: 4.81% (male 8,417/female 10,432) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 30.2

youth dependency ratio: 25.5

elderly dependency ratio: 4.7

potential support ratio: 21.4 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 29.5 years

male: 29.2 years

female: 30 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.12% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

15.69 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

4.12 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

-12.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution

about a third of the population lives in the centrally located capital city of Male and almost a tenth in southern Addu City; the remainder of the populace is spread over the 200 or so populated islands of the archipelago

Urbanization

urban population: 41.1% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 2.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

177,000 MALE (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.27 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.19 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

24.5 years (2009 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality rate

53 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 26.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 23.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.69 years

male: 74.31 years

female: 79.18 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.71 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

18.8% (2016/17)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 98.3% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.7% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

9.4% (2018)

Physicians density

4.56 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

4.3 beds/1,000 population (2009)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

N/A

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

N/A

HIV/AIDS - deaths

N/A

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

8.6% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

14.8% (2016/17)

Education expenditures

4.1% of GDP (2016)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.7%

male: 97.3%

female: 98.1% (2016)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 15.9%

male: 19.1%

female: 12.1% (2016 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Maldives on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Maldives 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Maldives 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.