Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Maldives
Maldives: Population density (people per sq. km of land area) was 1,771 people per sq. km of land area in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1,771 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
8th
of 216 countries
All-time high
1,771 people per sq. km of land area
in 2024
All-time low
311.5 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Population density in Maldives, 1961–2024
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
In 2024, population density in Maldives stood at 1,771 people per sq. km of land area. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 28.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Maldives peaked at 1,771 people per sq. km of land area in 2024 and was at its lowest, 311.5 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
Maldives ranks 8th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Maldives, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 311.5 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 319.34 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 327.41 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 335.54 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 347.01 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 361.69 people per sq. km of land area | +4.2% |
| 1967 | 375.09 people per sq. km of land area | +3.7% |
| 1968 | 386.92 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1969 | 398.55 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 410.73 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1971 | 423.45 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 436.56 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 449.84 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1974 | 463.26 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 477.19 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 491.75 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 506.43 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1978 | 520.53 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 534.53 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 549.45 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 565.11 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 581.11 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 597.09 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 613.99 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 633.9 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 656.45 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 679.81 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 702.95 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 725.79 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 749.21 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 772.67 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 795.14 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 816.28 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 836.07 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 855.5 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 874.49 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 892.36 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 909.08 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 924.71 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 940.06 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 955.89 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 972.05 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 988.3 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 1,005 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 1,021 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 1,046 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 1,082 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 1,121 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 1,161 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 1,203 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 1,246 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 1,289 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 1,334 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 1,379 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 1,427 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 1,478 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 1,528 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 1,577 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 1,626 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 1,674 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 1,721 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 1,747 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 1,765 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 1,771 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 1,771 people per sq. km of land area is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 85.13 people per sq. km of land area, 20.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 1,771 people per sq. km of land area is above the median for South Asia, which is 421.14 people per sq. km of land area, 4.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 351.45 people per sq. km of land area | 311.5 people per sq. km of land area | 398.55 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 471.43 people per sq. km of land area | 410.73 people per sq. km of land area | 534.53 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 630.57 people per sq. km of land area | 549.45 people per sq. km of land area | 725.79 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 842.55 people per sq. km of land area | 749.21 people per sq. km of land area | 924.71 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,029 people per sq. km of land area | 940.06 people per sq. km of land area | 1,161 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,409 people per sq. km of land area | 1,203 people per sq. km of land area | 1,626 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,735 people per sq. km of land area | 1,674 people per sq. km of land area | 1,771 people per sq. km of land area | 5 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
- 5 Gibraltar 3,933 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 6 Bahrain 1,986 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 7 Malta 1,805 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 9 Bangladesh 1,333 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 10 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 1,275 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 11 Bermuda 1,197 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Maldives
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 11.16 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 0.0756 Hectares (2020)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 0.0% (2017)
- Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen 66,000 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Maldives?
- Population density in Maldives was 1,771 people per sq. km of land area in 2024, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 1,771 people per sq. km of land area in 2024.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 311.5 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Maldives rank for population density?
- Maldives ranks 8th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population density rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Maldives data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.