Country profile · South Asia
Maldives
The Maldives is a chain of 1,192 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India. The 2022 census counted 515,132 residents, about a quarter of them foreigners. President Mohamed Muizzu took office in November 2023 after an "India Out" campaign. Tourism is the largest industry. Government debt is among the highest in the world.
Where the Maldives ranks
All rankings →- #10of 186Government debt125.4%
- #32of 154Sea zone923,833 km²
- #49of 173China's share of trade18.6%
- #60of 189GDP per person$18,658
- #36of 196Life expectancy81.5 years
- #189of 197Area300 km²
Which country has the biggest army? Largest armies in the world →
Which alliances is the Maldives in?
All alliances →Who runs the Maldives?
President Mohamed Muizzu was born in Malé on June 15, 1978. He is a civil engineer with a doctorate from the University of Leeds. He was mayor of Malé from 2021 to 2023. He campaigned on "India Out" and won the runoff of September 30, 2023 with 54.04% of the vote. He and his wife, Sajidha Mohamed, have three children. His People's National Congress won 66 of the 93 seats in the People's Majlis, the parliament, in April 2024, and it now holds 74 (chart). In 2025 parliament removed two Supreme Court judges and passed a media law that the UN human rights office asked it to repeal. On April 4, 2026 voters rejected Muizzu's plan to hold presidential and parliamentary elections together, by 68.74%. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party won all five city mayor races the same day. Former president Mohamed Nasheed has chaired the MDP since June 2026. The next presidential election is in 2028.
- People's National Congress (Muizzu) 74
- Maldivian Democratic Party 13
- Others 6
Official portrait (December 2023): The President's Office, Maldives, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
Who are the Maldives' allies and enemies?
India gave the Maldives two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, flown by about 80 Indian military personnel. President Mohamed Muizzu asked India to withdraw them, and they were replaced by Indian civilians by May 10, 2024. Muizzu broke the custom of visiting India first. His first trip abroad was to Turkey in November 2023, and his first state visit was to China in January 2024. A free trade agreement with China took effect on January 1, 2025. Relations with India have since warmed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was guest of honor at the 60th independence anniversary on July 26, 2025, and India gave a credit line of about $565 million. India rolled over a currency swap of 30 billion rupees from October 23, 2026. Turkey sold the Maldives drones and gave it a warship. Muizzu now claims the Chagos Islands, which Britain agreed in 2025 to hand to Mauritius. Mauritius suspended diplomatic relations on February 27, 2026.
Allies and partners
IndiaLargest lender; rolled over a currency swap
ChinaLargest source of imports; free trade since 2025
TurkeySold drones and gave a warship
United Arab EmiratesIts developer Eagle Hills leased land at Ras Malé
Sri LankaDefense agreement signed in May 2026
Tensions
MauritiusSuspended ties over Chagos in February 2026
- Malé The capital. About 41% of the population lives in the Malé area.
- Hanimaadhoo Airport built with an Indian loan. It opened in November 2025.
- Gan Britain's air force base here closed in 1976. It became an airport.
- Chagos Islands British islands promised to Mauritius in 2025. The Maldives now claims them too.
- Maldives
- Partner
Who does the Maldives trade with?
The Maldives imported $3.62 billion of goods in 2025 and exported only $145 million (UN Comtrade). Thailand bought 49.6% of exports (chart), mostly tuna, and the United Kingdom 19.6%. China supplied 19.3% of imports, India 14.7% and the United Arab Emirates 11.6%. Tourism pays for these imports. It was 20.3% of GDP in 2025, the largest sector (Maldives Bureau of Statistics). A record 2.25 million tourists came in 2025, most of them from China, Russia and the United Kingdom. The war in the Middle East cut flights through the Gulf from February 28, 2026, and arrivals in April were 24.4% lower than a year earlier. By early October 2026 arrivals were 3.9% behind 2025. Fishing is the other export industry. The catch rose 39.4% in 2025, and the pole-and-line skipjack tuna fishery is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
Sells to
Share of the Maldives' exports
Thailand49.6%
United Kingdom19.6%- Mauritius4.8%
Vietnam3.8%- India2.9%
Buys from
Share of the Maldives' imports
- China19.3%
- India14.7%
- United Arab Emirates11.6%
Oman9.4%
Malaysia5.9%
Goods, 2025. UN Comtrade (the Maldives' own figures).
Can the Maldives pay its debts?
The IMF put the Maldives' government debt at 125.4% of GDP in 2025, among the highest shares in the world (chart). The Finance Ministry gives 129.2% at the end of 2025 and 122.6% at the end of July 2026. On April 2, 2026 the government repaid a $500 million Islamic bond, or sukuk, from its own development fund and reserves. Fitch raised its credit rating to CCC- in June 2026, and Moody's raised its rating to Caa1 on October 8, 2026. But official reserves fell to $547 million at the end of September 2026, and only $169.8 million of that could be used. Dollars are scarce. The official rate is about 15.42 rufiyaa per dollar, but the black-market rate passed 21 in July 2026. The IMF says the risk of debt distress remains high. In September 2026 the government leased 500 hectares at Ras Malé for up to 99 years to Eagle Hills, a developer from the UAE.
Government debt, share of GDP, 2025
Full ranking →
Japan206.5%
Singapore171.3%
Greece145.7%
Italy137.1%- Maldives125.4%
United States123.9%
Bhutan103.6%- China99.2%
- Mauritius86.5%
- India84.1%
IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
Will rising seas swallow the Maldives?
More than 80% of the Maldives' land is less than one meter above sea level. The average ground level is about 1.5 meters, the lowest of any country. The UN's climate panel, the IPCC, projects that seas will rise 0.44 to 0.76 meters by 2100 if emissions stay at an intermediate level. On October 17, 2009 President Mohamed Nasheed held a cabinet meeting underwater to draw attention to the danger. The 2004 tsunami killed 82 people and caused damage worth about 62% of GDP. The government is building higher land. Hulhumalé, next to Malé, was reclaimed from the sea about two meters above sea level. A larger island, Ras Malé, is being reclaimed, and 129.6 of a planned 1,009 hectares were ready by October 13, 2026. A Dutch firm has designed a floating city for about 20,000 people near Malé. The Maldives became independent from British protection on July 26, 1965.