Maldives population pyramid 2026
531,517 people in 2026 (projected). The Maldives has a Gulf-style pyramid: a large bulge of men aged 25–49, mostly migrant workers, gives about 160 men for every 100 women overall.
- 2026 population
- 531.5Krank 174 of 237
- Median age
- 33.4 yearsoldest rank 116
- Fertility rate
- 1.53births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older5.3% age 65+
Maldives population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Maldives age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 18.4% of the population, while 5.3% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 76.3% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Maldives’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 31.1: about 31 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (24.2 children and 6.9 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Maldives’s population pyramid
Workers for resorts and building sites
The rapid growth of resort tourism and construction since the 1990s has drawn tens of thousands of foreign workers to the Maldives, most of them men from Bangladesh, India and other South Asian countries. The UN estimates net immigration of about 120,000 between 2000 and 2023, and the population nearly doubled over the same period. The result is a pronounced male bulge: in 2026 there are about 196 men per 100 women at ages 25–29 and 244 at 30–34, and about 160 per 100 across all ages. That profile is typical of Gulf states such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, which are among the countries whose age structures are closest to it, and places the Maldives near the top of the sex ratio by country ranking.
A very fast fall in births
Underneath the migrant bulge is a Maldivian population that changed quickly. Fertility was above seven around 1970 and still about six in 1990, then fell to about 2.7 by 2000 and 1.5 in 2026. The 20–24 band, born about 2002–06, is about 26% smaller than its neighbours; it sits between the larger cohorts born around 2007–16 and the ages at which most migrant workers arrive, which probably explains why it stands out so sharply.
In the medium scenario the current workers are assumed to stay and age, so by 2050 the male bulge has moved up to ages 50–69 and the median age reaches about 49. In practice many contract workers return home, so this part of the projection is especially uncertain.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20–24 | 2002–2006 | Notch (smaller cohort) | −26% |
| 35–39 | 1987–1991 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +10% |
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2058. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2045.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Maldives is projected to record 5,224 births (about 14 births a day) and 1,308 deaths, a natural increase of 3,916. Net migration adds −2,079 people, ranking #208 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 154,590 births, 29,548 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +122,116. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −13,052 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 83.3 years37.5 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 80.4 years35.5 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 19.1 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 4.1per 1,000 births · 209 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 5.0per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 30.4 yearssex ratio at birth 105.2
Women in Maldives are projected to live 2.9 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 209 to 4.1 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #189 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 30.4 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Maldives
The median age of 33.4 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.53 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 81.7 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 531,517 | #174 | Largest first |
| Median age | 33.4 years | #116 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.53 | #157 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +0.3% | #153 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 81.7 years | #46 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 5.3% | #165 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Maldives
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35–39 | 68,685 | 12.9% | 47.4K / 21.2K |
| 2 | 30–34 | 66,394 | 12.5% | 47.1K / 19.3K |
| 3 | 40–44 | 58,043 | 10.9% | 39.1K / 19K |
| 4 | 25–29 | 43,021 | 8.1% | 28.5K / 14.5K |
| 5 | 45–49 | 38,683 | 7.3% | 25.4K / 13.3K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Maldives has 326,900 males and 204,617 females. That is 159.8 males per 100 females, ranking #5 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 61.5% of the population and females for 38.5%. There are 122,283 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 108.0 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.2 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Maldives has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 74,448 in 1950 to 531,517 in 2026, a change of 614%. Over the same span, median age moved from 17.4 to 33.4 years.
The under-15 share changed from 41.8% to 18.4%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.1% to 5.3%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Maldives’s population is projected to grow by about 11%, reaching 589,962 in 2050. The median age changes from 33.4 to 49.4 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 16.2 percentage points to 21.5%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 13.1%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 596,762 in 2057. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 74,448 | 17.4 | 6.18 | 36.5 | 3,021 | 1,811 | 0 | +1.6% |
| 1960 | 91,190 | 19.6 | 6.71 | 38.2 | 4,669 | 2,428 | −32 | +2.4% |
| 1970 | 123,219 | 16.2 | 7.39 | 44.5 | 5,915 | 2,499 | +330 | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 164,835 | 15.8 | 7.23 | 54.8 | 7,676 | 2,150 | −903 | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 224,762 | 15.4 | 6.13 | 63.1 | 9,272 | 1,829 | −271 | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 282,019 | 17.7 | 2.69 | 70.9 | 5,617 | 1,244 | +300 | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 360,792 | 23.4 | 2.35 | 76.8 | 7,536 | 1,186 | +6,369 | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 502,118 | 29.1 | 1.61 | 78.7 | 6,081 | 1,488 | +9,642 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 525,994 | 31.1 | 1.58 | 81.0 | 5,795 | 1,230 | −2,877 | +0.3% |
| 2024* | 527,799 | 31.9 | 1.56 | 81.3 | 5,588 | 1,248 | −2,421 | +0.4% |
| 2026* | 531,517 | 33.4 | 1.53 | 81.7 | 5,224 | 1,308 | −2,079 | +0.3% |
| 2030* | 539,667 | 36.5 | 1.52 | 82.6 | 4,782 | 1,468 | −1,138 | +0.4% |
| 2040* | 564,798 | 44.0 | 1.52 | 84.4 | 5,110 | 2,165 | −94 | +0.5% |
| 2050* | 589,962 | 49.4 | 1.54 | 85.9 | 5,284 | 3,445 | −32 | +0.3% |
| 2060* | 595,687 | 50.7 | 1.55 | 87.2 | 4,582 | 5,285 | +139 | -0.1% |
| 2070* | 575,170 | 53.2 | 1.56 | 88.3 | 4,532 | 7,767 | +30 | -0.6% |
| 2080* | 535,373 | 51.5 | 1.56 | 89.4 | 4,696 | 9,365 | +232 | -0.8% |
| 2090* | 495,579 | 47.6 | 1.57 | 90.5 | 4,400 | 7,732 | +173 | -0.6% |
| 2100* | 474,919 | 47.7 | 1.58 | 91.6 | 4,221 | 5,714 | +41 | -0.3% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 14,280 | 13,672 | 27,952 | 5.3% |
| 5–9 | 17,017 | 15,293 | 32,310 | 6.1% |
| 10–14 | 20,230 | 17,446 | 37,676 | 7.1% |
| 15–19 | 19,755 | 16,989 | 36,744 | 6.9% |
| 20–24 | 16,441 | 13,225 | 29,666 | 5.6% |
| 25–29 | 28,510 | 14,511 | 43,021 | 8.1% |
| 30–34 | 47,092 | 19,302 | 66,394 | 12.5% |
| 35–39 | 47,447 | 21,238 | 68,685 | 12.9% |
| 40–44 | 39,090 | 18,953 | 58,043 | 10.9% |
| 45–49 | 25,404 | 13,279 | 38,683 | 7.3% |
| 50–54 | 16,648 | 10,810 | 27,458 | 5.2% |
| 55–59 | 11,877 | 9,033 | 20,910 | 3.9% |
| 60–64 | 8,509 | 7,342 | 15,851 | 3.0% |
| 65–69 | 6,543 | 5,829 | 12,372 | 2.3% |
| 70–74 | 3,601 | 3,324 | 6,925 | 1.3% |
| 75–79 | 2,054 | 1,995 | 4,049 | 0.8% |
| 80–84 | 1,523 | 1,381 | 2,904 | 0.5% |
| 85–89 | 651 | 692 | 1,343 | 0.3% |
| 90–94 | 196 | 246 | 442 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 32 | 52 | 84 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Maldives’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Bahrain96% overlap · median age 33.4
- Kuwait93% overlap · median age 34.8
- Bhutan91% overlap · median age 31.0
- Saudi Arabia90% overlap · median age 29.7
- Oman90% overlap · median age 29.8
- Brunei89% overlap · median age 33.2
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Maldives.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Maldives Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/maldives/
MLA
“Maldives Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/maldives/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Maldives Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/maldives/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Maldives in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Maldives's population in 2026 is projected at 531,517.
What is the median age in Maldives?
The projected median age in Maldives in 2026 is 33.4 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Maldives?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.53 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Maldives's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 11%, from 531.5K to 590K.
What share of Maldives is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 5.3% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 21.5%.
How many babies are born in Maldives each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 5,224 births and 1,308 deaths in 2026, about 14 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 3,916.
What is life expectancy in Maldives for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 83.3 years for women and 80.4 years for men, a gap of 2.9 years in favour of women.
Does Maldives have more immigrants or emigrants?
Maldives is projected to lose about 2,079 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +122,116.
What is the sex ratio in Maldives?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 159.8 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.