Foreign Residents Now Account for One‑Third of Maldives Population, New Report Shows

A fresh demographic snapshot released by the Maldives Bureau of Statistics has revealed that roughly one in three people living in the island nation is a foreigner, a figure that underscores the rapid transformation of the country’s labour market and urban demographics.

According to the report, the total population stands at 590,079, of which 394,054 are citizens and 196,024 are non‑citizens – a foreign share of about 33 percent. Of particular note, foreign men now outnumber the total number of working‑age Maldivian men—47 percent of all men residing in the country are non‑citizens.

The data paint a stark geographic split. While 43 percent of the nation’s inhabitants live in the capital, Male’ region, the city‑state’s composition is markedly different from the atolls. In Male’, one in three residents (33 %) is a foreigner, reflecting a heavy concentration of foreign labour in the capital’s service and construction sectors. 

By contrast, the atolls host a smaller but still significant foreign presence—one in five people (20%) there is non‑citizen. The most striking figure emerges from the non‑administrative islands, largely resort and industrial islands, where foreign workers make up a staggering 80 percent.

Age‑group analysis highlights a youthful, working‑age bulge among both locals and foreigners. The largest cohort, comprising 37 percent of the total population, falls in the 36‑64 age bracket – the core working‑age group. Children aged 0‑14 represent 29 percent of residents, while youth aged 18‑35 account for 27 percent. 

Notably, the atolls show a lower proportion of 20‑29‑year‑olds, a trend the Bureau attributes to out‑migration of young Maldivians to the capital and abroad in search of education and employment. The majority of people aged 20‑44 on resort and industrial islands are foreigners, underscoring the tourism‑driven demand for foreign labour.

The demographic shift coincides with the Maldives’ celebration of World Population Day, a United Nations observance that this year focuses on the importance of sustainable urbanisation.