Rural population in Maldives
Maldives: Rural population was 57.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
57.6%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
48th
of 214 countries
All-time high
88.1%
in 1970
All-time low
57.6%
in 2024
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Rural population in Maldives, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Maldives is 57.6%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Maldives peaked at 88.1% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 57.6%, in 2024.
Maldives ranks 48th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Maldives, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 88.1% | — |
| 1971 | 87.2% | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 86.1% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 85.1% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 83.9% | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 82.7% | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 81.4% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 80.0% | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 79.0% | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 78.4% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 77.8% | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 77.1% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 76.4% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 75.7% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 75.0% | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 74.5% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 74.4% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 74.4% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 74.3% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 74.2% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 74.2% | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 74.2% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 74.3% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 74.4% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 74.4% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 74.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 74.0% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 73.6% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 73.2% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 72.9% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 72.3% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 71.1% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 70.0% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 68.7% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 67.5% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 66.2% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 65.2% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 64.8% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 64.4% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 64.0% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 63.6% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 63.2% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 62.7% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 62.3% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 61.9% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 61.5% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 61.0% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 60.6% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 60.2% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 59.8% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 59.3% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 58.9% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 58.5% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 58.0% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 57.6% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 83.2% | 78.4% | 88.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.4% | 74.2% | 77.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 74.0% | 72.9% | 74.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.4% | 64.0% | 72.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.7% | 59.8% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.5% | 57.6% | 59.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
- 45 Mauritius 59.1% compare
- 46 Bangladesh 58.8% compare
- 47 Madagascar 58.8% compare
- 49 Faroe Islands 56.8% compare
- 50 Egypt 56.7% compare
- 51 Republic of Moldova 56.4% compare
More population data for Maldives
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.378 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 569.91 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1872 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2781 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.305 (2100)
- Population density 1,583 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 21,159 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.305 (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.1872 % change on previous year (2030)
- Fertility and wanted fertility, annual growth rate -0.9524 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Maldives?
- Rural population in Maldives was 57.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 88.1% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.6% in 2024.
- How does Maldives rank for rural population?
- Maldives ranks 48th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Maldives data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release