Maldives Population
Maldives had an estimated population of 529,676 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 171st most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.01% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.35% a year.
Maldives at a glance
How Maldives's population is changing
Maldives's population is growing: +0.35% a year, which works out to about +1,880 people per year, or +5 a day. Births (10.6 per 1,000) and deaths (2.4 per 1,000) alone would give +0.82% a year; net migration removes about 2,283 people a year (−0.43%). Roughly one in every 15,510 people on Earth lives in Maldives.
Population of Maldives since 1960
In 1960, Maldives had 91,189 people. By 2025 that was 529,676 — 5.8× larger. The fastest growth came between 2006 and 2016, when the population rose by 41%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 91,189 | — |
| 1970 | 123,219 | +35.1% |
| 1980 | 164,835 | +33.8% |
| 1990 | 224,762 | +36.4% |
| 2000 | 282,019 | +25.5% |
| 2010 | 360,792 | +27.9% |
| 2020 | 502,118 | +39.2% |
| 2025 | 529,676 | +5.5% |
Maldives from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Maldives at about 42,378 people in 1800; the UN estimates 529,680 in 2025 (12× 1800) and projects 474,920 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2057 at 596,759 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 42,378 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 50,569 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 64,150 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 74,461 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 282,025 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 529,680 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 589,963 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 557,020 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 474,920 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Maldives
6 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 529,676. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Male | 236,072 | UN urban centre | 44.57% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Fuvahmulah | 11,140 | GeoNames settlement | 2.10% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Hithadhoo | 9,927 | GeoNames settlement | 1.87% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Kulhudhuffushi | 9,500 | GeoNames settlement | 1.79% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Thinadhoo | 6,376 | GeoNames settlement | 1.20% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Naifaru | 5,044 | GeoNames settlement | 0.95% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Maldives compares
Maldives has almost the same population as Cape Verde (527,326).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Maldives | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #169 |  Montenegro | 623,129 | +18% | compare → |
| #170 |  Malta | 579,704 | +9% | compare → |
| #172 |  Cape Verde | 527,326 | −0% | compare → |
| #173 |  Brunei | 466,330 | −12% | compare → |
Compare Maldives with any country →
Same region (South Asia): India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan.
Explore around Maldives
Nearest countries
Maldives has no land border. Closest by distance:
Sri Lanka 21,756,000 · 41.1× the population · compare
Seychelles 122,730 · 4.3× smaller · compare
Oman 5,494,691 · 10.4× the population · compare
India 1,463,865,525 · 2763.7× the population · compare
In its region
Maldives is the 6th most populous of the 6 economies in South Asia, holding 0.0% of the region's 1,692,252,900 people.
Rankings featuring Maldives
Cities
Male, Fuvahmulah, Hithadhoo, Kulhudhuffushi, Thinadhoo, Naifaru — all Maldives's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Maldives when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.