| Demographics ofMaldives | |
|---|---|
Population pyramid of the Maldives in 2020 | |
| Population | 515,122 (2022)[1] |
| Growth rate | -0.14% (2022) |
| Birth rate | 15.54 births/1,000 population (2022) |
| Death rate | 4.15 deaths/1,000 population (2022) |
| Life expectancy | 76.94 years |
| • male | 74.57 years |
| • female | 79.42 years |
| Fertility rate | 1.71 children born/woman (2022 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Net migration rate | -12.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 19.72% |
| 15–64 years | 76.94% |
| 65 and over | 3.34% |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | Maldivian |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 72,237 | — |
| 1921 | 70,413 | −0.26% |
| 1931 | 79,281 | +1.19% |
| 1946 | 82,068 | +0.23% |
| 1953 | 77,273 | −0.86% |
| 1957 | 83,075 | +1.83% |
| 1962 | 92,744 | +2.23% |
| 1967 | 103,801 | +2.28% |
| 1972 | 122,673 | +3.40% |
| 1977 | 142,832 | +3.09% |
| 1985 | 180,088 | +2.94% |
| 1990 | 213,215 | +3.43% |
| 1995 | 244,814 | +2.80% |
| 2000 | 270,101 | +1.99% |
| 2006 | 298,968 | +1.71% |
| 2014 | 344,023 | +1.77% |
| 2022 | 382,639 | +1.34% |
| Source:[2] | ||
This is ademography of thepopulation ofMaldives, includingpopulation density,ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.


| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 151 459 | 147 509 | 298 968 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 13 362 | 12 809 | 26 171 | 8.75 |
| 5–9 | 15 352 | 14 515 | 29 867 | 9.99 |
| 10–14 | 19 111 | 17 888 | 36 999 | 12.38 |
| 15–19 | 20 155 | 19 749 | 39 904 | 13.35 |
| 20–24 | 16 933 | 17 876 | 34 809 | 11.64 |
| 25–29 | 11 915 | 12 666 | 24 581 | 8.22 |
| 30–34 | 10 022 | 10 613 | 20 635 | 6.90 |
| 35–39 | 8 780 | 9 394 | 18 174 | 6.08 |
| 40–44 | 7 828 | 8 043 | 15 871 | 5.31 |
| 45–49 | 6 872 | 6 697 | 13 569 | 4.54 |
| 50–54 | 4 147 | 3 789 | 7 936 | 2.65 |
| 55–59 | 3 046 | 2 813 | 5 859 | 1.96 |
| 60–64 | 2 852 | 2 714 | 5 566 | 1.86 |
| 65–69 | 3 014 | 2 664 | 5 678 | 1.90 |
| 70–74 | 2 333 | 1 853 | 4 186 | 1.40 |
| 75–79 | 1 444 | 933 | 2 377 | 0.80 |
| 80–84 | 617 | 447 | 1 064 | 0.36 |
| 85–89 | 241 | 155 | 396 | 0.13 |
| 90–94 | 89 | 70 | 159 | 0.05 |
| 95+ | 52 | 32 | 84 | 0.03 |
| unknown | 3 294 | 1 789 | 5 083 | 1.70 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 47 825 | 45 212 | 93 037 | 31.12 |
| 15–64 | 92 550 | 94 354 | 186 904 | 62.52 |
| 65+ | 7 790 | 6 154 | 13 944 | 4.66 |
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 169 800 | 166 424 | 336 224 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 16 714 | 16 429 | 33 143 | 9.86 |
| 5–9 | 13 826 | 13 318 | 27 144 | 8.07 |
| 10–14 | 14 498 | 13 671 | 28 169 | 8.38 |
| 15–19 | 18 153 | 16 795 | 34 948 | 10.39 |
| 20–24 | 20 743 | 19 640 | 40 383 | 12.01 |
| 25–29 | 19 091 | 19 401 | 38 492 | 11.45 |
| 30–34 | 14 054 | 14 828 | 28 882 | 8.59 |
| 35–39 | 10 761 | 11 263 | 22 024 | 6.55 |
| 40–44 | 9 409 | 9 935 | 19 344 | 5.75 |
| 45–49 | 8 270 | 8 587 | 16 857 | 5.01 |
| 50–54 | 7 421 | 7 340 | 14 761 | 4.39 |
| 55–59 | 5 105 | 4 799 | 9 904 | 2.95 |
| 60–64 | 3 118 | 2 884 | 6 002 | 1.79 |
| 65–69 | 2 542 | 2 495 | 5 037 | 1.50 |
| 70–74 | 2 430 | 2 338 | 4 768 | 1.42 |
| 75–79 | 1 971 | 1 648 | 3 619 | 1.08 |
| 80+ | 1 693 | 1 054 | 2 747 | 0.82 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 45 038 | 43 418 | 88 456 | 26.31 |
| 15–64 | 116 126 | 115 471 | 231 597 | 68.88 |
| 65+ | 8 636 | 7 535 | 16 171 | 4.81 |
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 356 149 | 201 277 | 557 426 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 20 612 | 18 798 | 39 411 | 7.07 |
| 5–9 | 19 345 | 17 242 | 36 587 | 6.56 |
| 10–14 | 17 446 | 16 495 | 33 941 | 6.09 |
| 15–19 | 17 354 | 13 032 | 30 386 | 5.45 |
| 20–24 | 48 242 | 16 763 | 65 005 | 11.66 |
| 25–29 | 65 935 | 21 387 | 87 322 | 15.67 |
| 30–34 | 51 583 | 22 366 | 73 949 | 13.27 |
| 35–39 | 36 844 | 19 016 | 55 859 | 10.02 |
| 40–44 | 24 838 | 13 365 | 38 203 | 6.85 |
| 45–49 | 17 124 | 10 950 | 28 074 | 5.04 |
| 50–54 | 11 939 | 9 187 | 21 126 | 3.79 |
| 55–59 | 8 754 | 7 754 | 16 508 | 2.96 |
| 60–64 | 6 450 | 6 008 | 12 458 | 2.23 |
| 65–69 | 3 351 | 2 958 | 6 309 | 1.13 |
| 70–74 | 2 232 | 2 200 | 4 432 | 0.80 |
| 75–79 | 1 832 | 1 848 | 3 680 | 0.66 |
| 80+ | 2 269 | 1 908 | 4 177 | 0.75 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 57 403 | 52 535 | 109 938 | 19.72 |
| 15–64 | 289 062 | 139 828 | 428 890 | 76.94 |
| 65+ | 9 684 | 8 914 | 18 598 | 3.34 |
| Period[5] | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR1 | CDR1 | NC1 | TFR1 | IMR1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 3 000 | 2 000 | 1 000 | 43.2 | 27.7 | 15.5 | 6.03 | 233.4 |
| 1955–1960 | 4 000 | 2 000 | 2 000 | 53.0 | 28.2 | 24.8 | 6.81 | 221.6 |
| 1960–1965 | 5 000 | 3 000 | 3 000 | 55.0 | 27.2 | 27.9 | 7.12 | 205.5 |
| 1965–1970 | 6 000 | 3 000 | 3 000 | 52.2 | 23.4 | 28.8 | 7.22 | 175.5 |
| 1970–1975 | 6 000 | 2 000 | 4 000 | 47.4 | 19.3 | 28.1 | 7.17 | 146.5 |
| 1975–1980 | 6 000 | 2 000 | 4 000 | 44.1 | 15.7 | 28.3 | 6.86 | 121.5 |
| 1980–1985 | 8 000 | 2 000 | 6 000 | 47.8 | 12.7 | 35.1 | 7.26 | 97.2 |
| 1985–1990 | 9 000 | 2 000 | 7 000 | 45.4 | 10.5 | 34.8 | 6.81 | 77.1 |
| 1990–1995 | 8 000 | 2 000 | 6 000 | 35.6 | 8.0 | 27.6 | 5.25 | 62.5 |
| 1995–2000 | 7 000 | 1 000 | 5 000 | 25.1 | 5.5 | 19.6 | 3.52 | 41.7 |
| 2000–2005 | 6 000 | 1 000 | 4 000 | 19.7 | 4.1 | 15.6 | 2.49 | 26.5 |
| 2005–2010 | 5 000 | 1 000 | 4 000 | 17.2 | 3.7 | 13.5 | 1.90 | 9.8 |
| 1CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births | ||||||||
| [6] | Average estimated population | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | TFR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 157,000 | 6,822 | 1,787 | 5,035 | 43.6 | 11.4 | 32.1 | |
| 1981 | 162,000 | 7,010 | 1,963 | 5,047 | 43.3 | 12.1 | 31.2 | |
| 1982 | 168,000 | 7,402 | 2,129 | 5,273 | 44.1 | 12.7 | 31.4 | |
| 1983 | 174,000 | 7,236 | 1,748 | 5,488 | 41.6 | 10.1 | 31.6 | |
| 1984 | 180,000 | 8,255 | 1,640 | 6,615 | 45.8 | 9.1 | 36.7 | |
| 1985 | 187,000 | 8,968 | 1,607 | 7,361 | 48.0 | 8.6 | 39.4 | |
| 1986 | 193,000 | 8,615 | 1,511 | 7,104 | 44.6 | 7.8 | 36.8 | |
| 1987 | 200,000 | 8,364 | 1,525 | 6,839 | 41.8 | 7.6 | 34.2 | |
| 1988 | 207,000 | 8,297 | 1,526 | 6,771 | 40.2 | 7.4 | 32.8 | |
| 1989 | 213,000 | 8,726 | 1,476 | 7,250 | 41.0 | 6.9 | 34.0 | |
| 1990 | 219,000 | 8,639 | 1,355 | 7,284 | 39.4 | 6.2 | 33.2 | |
| 1991 | 226,000 | 8,390 | 1,366 | 7,024 | 37.2 | 6.1 | 31.1 | |
| 1992 | 232,000 | 8,139 | 1,330 | 6,809 | 35.1 | 5.7 | 29.4 | |
| 1993 | 238,000 | 7,780 | 1,319 | 6,461 | 32.7 | 5.6 | 27.2 | |
| 1994 | 243,000 | 7,382 | 1,240 | 6,142 | 30.3 | 5.1 | 25.2 | |
| 1995 | 249,000 | 6,849 | 1,151 | 5,698 | 27.5 | 4.6 | 22.9 | |
| 1996 | 254,000 | 6,772 | 1,213 | 5,559 | 26.7 | 4.8 | 21.9 | |
| 1997 | 259,000 | 6,184 | 1,175 | 5,009 | 23.9 | 4.5 | 19.3 | |
| 1998 | 264,000 | 5,687 | 1,121 | 4,566 | 21.6 | 4.2 | 17.3 | |
| 1999 | 269,000 | 5,225 | 1,037 | 4,188 | 19.5 | 3.9 | 15.6 | |
| 2000 | 273,000 | 5,399 | 1,032 | 4,367 | 19.8 | 3.8 | 16.0 | |
| 2001 | 278,000 | 4,897 | 1,081 | 3,816 | 17.6 | 3.9 | 13.7 | |
| 2002 | 282,000 | 5,003 | 1,113 | 3,890 | 17.7 | 3.9 | 13.8 | |
| 2003 | 287,000 | 5,157 | 1,030 | 4,127 | 18.0 | 3.6 | 14.4 | |
| 2004 | 291,000 | 5,220 | 1,015 | 4,205 | 17.9 | 3.5 | 14.5 | |
| 2005 | 295,000 | 5,543 | 1,027 | 4,516 | 18.8 | 3.5 | 15.3 | |
| 2006 | 300,000 | 5,829 | 1,083 | 4,746 | 19.5 | 3.6 | 15.9 | |
| 2007 | 305,000 | 6,569 | 1,118 | 5,451 | 21.6 | 3.7 | 18.0 | |
| 2008 | 310,000 | 6,946 | 1,061 | 5,885 | 22.6 | 3.4 | 19.1 | |
| 2009 | 315,000 | 7,423 | 1,163 | 6,260 | 23.6 | 3.7 | 19.9 | 2.400 |
| 2010 | 320,000 | 7,115 | 1,105 | 6,010 | 22.3 | 3.5 | 18.8 | 2.263 |
| 2011 | 325,000 | 7,180 | 1,137 | 6,043 | 22.1 | 3.5 | 18.6 | 2.239 |
| 2012 | 331,000 | 7,431 | 1,135 | 6,296 | 22.5 | 3.4 | 19.0 | 2.259 |
| 2013 | 336,000 | 7,153 | 1,120 | 6,033 | 21.3 | 3.3 | 18.0 | 2.133 |
| 2014 | 437,535 | 7,245 | 1,143 | 6,102 | 16.6 | 2.6 | 14.0 | 2.007 |
| 2015 | 454,434 | 6,896 | 1,130 | 5,766 | 15.2 | 2.5 | 12.7 | 1.907 |
| 2016 | 472,426 | 6,756 | 1,226 | 5,530 | 14.3 | 2.6 | 11.7 | 1.805 |
| 2017 | 491,589 | 6,723 | 1,241 | 5,482 | 13.7 | 2.5 | 11.2 | 1.718 |
| 2018 | 512,038 | 6,586 | 1,300 | 5,286 | 12.9 | 2.5 | 10.4 | 1.651 |
| 2019 | 533,941 | 6,153 | 1,132 | 5,021 | 11.5 | 2.1 | 9.4 | 1.557 |
| 2020 | 557,426 | 6,293 | 1,275 | 5,018 | 11.3 | 2.3 | 9.0 | 1.572 |
| 2021 | 568,362 | 5,914 | 1,552 | 4,362 | 10.4 | 2.7 | 7.7 | 1.506 |
Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and CBR (Crude Birth Rate):[7]
| Year | Total | Urban | Rural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR | |
| 2009 | 24.7 | 2.5 (2.2) | 22.9 | 2.1 (1.9) | 25.5 | 2.8 (2.4) |
| 2016–17 | 22.0 | 2.1 (1.9) | 19.9 | 1.8 (1.5) | 23.0 | 2.5 (2.2) |
Thetotal fertility rate differs greatly from as low as 2.05 children per woman inMalé to a maximum of 3.88 children inFaafu.
| Code Name | Official name | Population (2014 census)[8] | Reg. Population (31 December 2018)[8] | TFR (2014 census)[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malé | Malé City | 133,412 | 64,742 | 2.05 |
| Haa Alif | Thiladhunmathi Uthuruburi | 13,004 | 22,761 | 2.91 |
| Haa Dhaalu | Thiladhunmathi Dhekunuburi | 18,570 | 27,259 | 2.91 |
| Shaviyani | Miladhunmadulu Uthuruburi | 12,127 | 18,274 | 2.66 |
| Noonu | Miladhunmadulu Dhekunuburi | 10,556 | 16,789 | 2.83 |
| Raa | Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi | 14,934 | 23,721 | 2.93 |
| Baa | Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi | 8,919 | 14,624 | 2.45 |
| Lhaviyani | Faadhippolhu | 7,996 | 13,238 | 2.59 |
| Kaafu | Malé Atholhu | 12,232 | 12,036 | 2.70 |
| Alif Alif | Ari Atholhu Uthuruburi | 5,915 | 7,614 | 2.94 |
| Alif Dhaal | Ari Atholhu Dhekunuburi | 8,183 | 11,439 | 3.30 |
| Vaavu | Felidhu Atholhu | 1,622 | 2,599 | 2.34 |
| Meemu | Mulak Atholhu | 4,711 | 7,415 | 2.75 |
| Faafu | Nilandhe Atholhu Uthuruburi | 4,140 | 6,264 | 3.88 |
| Dhaalu | Nilandhe Atholhu Dhekunuburi | 5,329 | 7,932 | 2.62 |
| Thaa | Kolhumadulu | 8,923 | 16,161 | 2.97 |
| Laamu | Haddhunmathi | 11,841 | 16,977 | 2.67 |
| Gaafu Alif | Huvadhu Atholhu Uthuruburi | 8,477 | 14,057 | 2.80 |
| Gaafu Dhaalu | Huvadhu Atholhu Dhekunuburi | 11,653 | 21,096 | 3.13 |
| Gnaviyani | Fuvahmulah City | 8,095 | 13,037 | 2.76 |
| Addu City | Addu City | 19,827 | 33,876 | 2.49 |
| Maldives | Republic of Maldives | 344,023 | 374,775 | 2.46 |

| Period | Life expectancy in Years | Period | Life expectancy in Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 34.5 | 1985–1990 | 59.3 |
| 1955–1960 | 36.1 | 1990–1995 | 63.5 |
| 1960–1965 | 39.0 | 1995–2000 | 67.6 |
| 1965–1970 | 42.4 | 2000–2005 | 72.2 |
| 1970–1975 | 46.2 | 2005–2010 | 75.6 |
| 1975–1980 | 50.7 | 2010–2015 | 76.3 |
| 1980–1985 | 55.5 |
Source:UN World Population Prospects[10]
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The largest ethnic group isDhivehin, native to the historic region of theMaldive Islands comprising today's Republic of Maldives and the island ofMinicoy inUnion territory of Lakshadweep,India. They share the same culture and speak theDhivehi language. They are principally anIndo-Aryan people, closely related to theSinhalese and having traces ofMiddle Eastern,South Asian,Austronesian andAfrican genes in the population.
In the past there was also a small Tamil population known as theGiraavaru people. This group have now been almost completely absorbed into the larger Maldivian society but were once native to the island ofGiraavaru (Kaafu Atoll). This island was evacuated in 1968 due to heavy erosion of the island.
Filipinos in the Maldives numbered 3,000 in 2018.
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Dhivehi, anIndo-Aryan language closely related to theSinhala language of Sri Lanka, and written in a specialized Arabic script (Thaana), is the official language and is spoken by virtually the whole population.English is also spoken as a second language by many.
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Sunni Islam is the state religion. Historically, the Maldives were converted to Islam from Buddhism in the 12th century. Under the 2008 constitution Islam is the official religion of the entire population, as adherence to it is required for citizenship.