MV
Labour · South Asia · Upper-middle income
Maldives: the labour market
Labour force is 272,320 (2025), 168th of 187 in the world and 6th of 6 in South Asia. Participation rate is 63.5% (2025), 79th of 187 in the world and 2nd of 6 in South Asia. Women's participation is 40.7% (2025), 150th of 187 in the world and 2nd of 6 in South Asia.
Labour force
Maldives
Participation rate
MaldivesSouth AsiaUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Maldives in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within South Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 272,3202025 | 168/187 | 6/6 | 92,425 | 141,579 | 230,564 | +47%since 2015 | 710m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 63.5%2025 | 79/187 | 2/6 | 54.8% | 52.8% | 58.3% | +7.3 ppsince 2015 | 55.6% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 40.7%2025 | 150/187 | 2/6 | 37.0% | 36.6% | 37.1% | +2.2 ppsince 2015 | 33.0% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 60.6%2025 | 68/187 | 2/6 | 53.7% | 47.0% | 55.1% | +8.1 ppsince 2015 | 53.2% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 4.5%2025 | 114/187 | 2/6 | 2.0% | 10.9% | 5.4% | −2.1 ppsince 2015 | 4.2% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 4.1%2025 | 127/187 | 5/6 | 2.8% | 12.9% | 4.2% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 4.2% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 15.7%2025 | 75/187 | 5/6 | 4.4% | 23.3% | 16.1% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 15.4% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 26.3%2019 | 42/170 | 2/6 | · | 32.5%2009 | 26.3%2019 | −6.3 ppsince 2009 | 25.5% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 80.0%2025 | 61/187 | 1/6 | 63.4% | 67.6% | 78.6% | +4.3 ppsince 2015 | 26.9% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 16.9%2025 | 127/187 | 6/6 | 31.5% | 27.4% | 18.3% | −3.3 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 11.3%2025 | 106/187 | 6/6 | 18.8% | 13.3% | 13.3% | +1.5 ppsince 2015 | 41.5% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 16.9%2025 | 118/187 | 5/6 | 24.1% | 16.7% | 16.6% | −1.5 ppsince 2015 | 25.1% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 71.8%2025 | 53/187 | 1/6 | 57.1% | 70.0% | 70.1% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 33.4% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+2.2 pp40.7% in 2025
- Employment rate+8.1 pp60.6% in 2025
- Unemployment−2.1 pp4.5% in 2025
- Female unemployment−2.4 pp4.1% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
No rated indicator got worse over the decade.
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Maldives and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Maldives. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Maldives | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 272,3202025 | 35.4m2025 |
| Participation rate | 63.5%2025 | 61.4%2025 |
| Women's participation | 40.7%2025 | 57.3%2025 |
| Employment rate | 60.6%2025 | 58.5%2025 |
| Unemployment | 4.5%2025 | 4.7%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 4.1%2025 | 4.4%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 15.7%2025 | 14.6%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 26.3%2019 | 14.4%2025 |
| Wage workers | 80.0%2025 | 86.9%2025 |