Maldives
- Capital:
- Malé
- Continent:
- Asia
- Region(s):
- Southern Asia, South Central Asia
- Largest Cities:
- Male, Fuvahmulah
- Abbreviation:
- MDV
* As of 6/9/2025
1 birth
Every 1.6 hours
1 death
Every 8.0 hours
1 emigrant
Every 4.0 hours
1 person
Every 4.0 hours
The Maldives, officially the Republic of the Maldives and referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean-Arabian Sea region. The country is made up of 27 atolls between the Chagos Archipelago and Minicoy Island, 250 miles southwest of India. The largest city and capital in the Maldives is Male, with an estimated population of 63,000. This is followed by Addu City (32,000) and Fuvahmulah (12,000). These are the only cities with a population surpassing 10,000.
The people of the Maldives have an identity that is a blend of the cultures of people who settled on the islands. It is believed the earliest inhabitants were from Sri Lanka and southern India. The Maldives people are ethnically related to those of the Indian subcontinent and are ethnically known as Dhivehi.
There are about 70,000 foreign workers in the Maldives, as well as 33,000 illegal immigrants, who make up about one-third of the total population. Most workers and immigrants are from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.