Population density in Maldives

Maldives: Population density was 1,765 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
1,765 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
7th
of 215 countries
All-time high
1,765 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
311.5 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Population density in Maldives, 1961–2023

5001.0k1.5k2.0k196119922023

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 2023, population density in Maldives stood at 1,765 people per sq. km of land area. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 32.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population density in Maldives peaked at 1,765 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 311.5 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.

Maldives ranks 7th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Population density in Maldives, year by year

Annual values for Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Maldives, 1961 to 2023.
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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 1,727 people per sq. km of land area 1,674 people per sq. km of land area 1,765 people per sq. km of land area 4

Countries ranked near Maldives

  1. 4 Hong Kong 7,177 people per sq. km of land area compare
  2. 5 Gibraltar 3,847 people per sq. km of land area compare
  3. 6 Bahrain 1,971 people per sq. km of land area compare
  4. 8 Malta 1,727 people per sq. km of land area compare
  5. 9 Bangladesh 1,319 people per sq. km of land area compare
  6. 10 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 1,257 people per sq. km of land area compare

See the full ranking of 263 places →

More urban development data for Maldives

All data for Maldives →

Frequently asked questions

What is population density in Maldives?
Population density in Maldives was 1,765 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, 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 1,765 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
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 7th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
Is population density rising or falling in Maldives?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.4%. 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Population density in Maldives. Statizoid, drawing on FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://urban.statizoid.com/stat/population-density-people-per-sq-km-of-land-area/maldives/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://urban.statizoid.com/stat/population-density-people-per-sq-km-of-land-area/maldives/">Population density in Maldives</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Population density (people per sq. km of land area)
Unit
people per sq. km of land area
Source
FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
263 places, 15,281 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

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.