Maldives Facts and Figures. BASIC FACTS Official name Capital Area Republic of Maldives Malé 298 sq km 115 sq mi PEOPLE Population 379,174 (2008 estimate) Population growth Population growth rate 2.69 percent (2008 estimate) Projected population in 2025 563,760 (2025 estimate) Projected population in 2050 815,031 (2050 estimate) Population density 1,264 persons per sq km (2008 estimate) 3,273 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate) Urban/rural distribution Share urban 30 percent (2005 estimate) Share rural 70 percent (2005 estimate) Largest cities, with population Malé 83,000 (2003 estimate) Ethnic groups Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, African Languages Divehi (official; dialect of Sinhala), English Religious affiliations Muslim (Islam is the official religion; mostly Sunni Muslim) Other (including Buddhist and Hindus) 99 percent 1 percent HEALTH AND EDUCATION Life expectancy Total 65.1 years (2008 estimate) Female 66.6 years (2008 estimate) Male 63.7 years (2008 estimate) Infant mortality rate Population per physician Population per hospital bed 52 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate) 1,086 people (2004) 588 people (2000) Literacy rate Total 97.5 percent (2005 estimate) Female 97.6 percent (2005 estimate) Male 97.3 percent (2005 estimate) Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) Number of years of compulsory schooling Number of students per teacher, primary school 6.5 percent (1998-1999) 7 years (2002-2003) 20 students per teacher (2002-2003) GOVERNMENT Form of government Republic Voting qualifications Universal at age 21 Constitution Armed forces Total number of military personnel Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 1 January 1998 Not available 6.4 percent (2003) ECONOMY Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) GDP per capita (U.S.$) $927 million (2006) $3,087.20 (2006) GDP by economic sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing 11.2 percent (1998) I ndustry Not available Services Not available Employment Number of workers 122,843 (2006) Workforce share of economic sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing 14 percent (2000) I ndustry 19 percent (2000) Services 50 percent (2000) Unemployment rate 2 percent (2000) National budget (U.S.$) Total revenue $404 million (2006) Total expenditure $514 million (2006) Monetary unit 1 rufiyaa (Rf), consisting of 100 laari Major trade partners for exports United States, Sri Lanka, Canada, United Kingdom, and Germany Major trade partners for imports Singapore, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and India ENERGY, COMMUNICATIONS, AND TRANSPORTATION Electricity production Electricity from thermal sources 100 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from hydroelectric sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Number of radios per 1,000 people 129 (1997) Number of telephones per 1,000 people 98 (2005) Number of televisions per 1,000 people 35 (2000 estimate) Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 19 (2003) Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 18 (1996) Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 12 (2004) Paved road as a share of total roads Not available SOURCES Basic Facts and People sections Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org). Health and Education section Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Government section Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance. Economy section Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications. Energy, Communication, and Transportation section Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Note Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
